The difference between us
by Ramadiii
Summary: Being the new girl was never easy. Kaylin Davis had experience in that department but will her family's move to Orlando turn out differently than she'd thought?
1. A new start

The difference between us – Chapter 1

Kaylin looked out the window of their old Dodger Charger and sighed as she braced herself for her first day at the new school, the third one in a year.  
She looked down at the charm-bracelet her dad had given her for her birthday, took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out into the sunlight.  
"You have a great day, sweetie, and remember what we talked about." Her mother, Arielle Davis, said from the driver's seat and Kaylin nodded, oh she remember what they had talked about alright, it was the execution of the whole thing that was going to present a bit of a challenge.  
Her mother waved goodbye at her from the car, a wave that Kaylin returned although not as enthusiastically. She was nervous as she started making her way towards the doors of the school, you would think that she would have gotten used to transferring schools by now but the first day was always hell.  
One thing that helped though was that the sun was shining, she'd had enough of the cold in Montana so she lingered a little outside before finally walking through the doors of her new school.  
She knew people were staring at her but that she was used to, she had learned to ignore it a long time ago and so she made her way through the corridor, her head held high and confidence in her steps as she searched for the school's information-desk. Soon enough she found it, got the things she needed along with a map of the school and headed to her first class for the day, math.  
She sat down in one of the empty seats in the middle of the classroom, knowing how to give off a good impression to both the students and the teacher. She opened her new math-book and lazily flipped through the pages, happily noticing that she knew most of the equations in it.  
As Kaylin continued to review her math-book, someone was watching her with scrutinizing eyes from across the classroom.

Ryan McCarthy was a bit of a player, anyone who had ever set eyes on him knew that, and even if they had failed to notice, the look on his face as he checked out the new girl would have swept away all doubts.  
He took in how the 5'5, slender girl flipped through her book with a small smile. How her jeans hung low on her hips and approved of the way that tight black lace camisole showed off her curves. Her slightly curled chocolate-brown hair reached past her shoulder-blades and shimmered when the sunlight found its way through the windows.  
She was hot, but not in a model kind of way. More ordinary than extraordinary but still enticing in her own way.  
He got up from his seat and made his way over to her desk, turning on that killer charm that had broken so many hearts over the years.  
"Hi." He said and without asking he helped himself to her desk.  
"Hi." Kaylin replied with slightly raised eyebrows. "Can I help you?"  
"You're the new girl, aren't you?" Ryan asked, completely ignoring her previous question. "I'm Ryan." He reached out a hand and showed her the smile that could make any girl moan aloud.  
"Kaylin." Kaylin nodded and took his extended hand. It wasn't that he wasn't good looking, and it wasn't that she didn't appreciate him talking to her but she had known too many heart-breakers in her short life, and she had developed a gift of being able to sniff them out. And this guy was a stinker, big time!  
"So where are you from?" He hadn't let go of her hand and the smile on his face was almost mocking. If he thought she was going to be easy then he had clearly underestimated her.  
"Montana. We came in the other day." Kaylin pried her hand away from his grasp but continued looking into those blue eyes, she'd had enough of guys thinking she would spread her legs over a simple smile and a handshake.  
Ryan noticed a fire go off in those bright green eyes as she removed her hand from his and for a second he thought he saw a look of defiance flash across her face but it passed as quickly as it had shown. Something told him that this might not be as easy as he had assumed, but he had never given up on anything and he wasn't about to start now.  
"Listen, I'm having a party this Friday, you should come." There was something close to a challenge in his voice when he spoke and it made Kaylin a little cautious, even though she was careful not to show it.  
"I don't think I can. Lots of unpacking to be done and things like that." Okay, that was a lame excuse but she wasn't sure her mom would appreciate her getting into trouble the first weekend in the new place.  
"Oh, come on. It'll be fun." He leaned closer until he was only inches from her and whispered suggestively. "I promise I'll take good care of you.". Kaylin felt her eyes widen, did he just...?  
"Listen... Ryan, is it?" He raised an eyebrow in response, that damn smirk still on his face. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not the kind of girl who gives it up to any guy who makes a move on me. So why don't you get back in your seat and leave me the hell alone?"  
_"Well, Kay. That went well, didn't it? Making friends on your first day at school, bravo!"_ Her mind was screaming at her sarcastically but she couldn't help it. She had the temper of her father and although sometimes it worked out to her advantage, she figured that now was not one of those times.  
Ryan looked a little phased by her outburst, obviously not used to being spoken to in that manor, but simply smiled and leaned close again.  
"Are you sure about that? I mean, you sure look like one." Okay, she totally didn't but nobody spoke to him like that unpunished.  
To hell with her promise to her mom, this guy was asking for it! She jumped out of her seat and was about to launch at the blond in front of her but was stopped by the sound of the warning bell, and the teacher walking into the classroom.  
"Do we have a problem here, mr McCarthy?" The man asked, obviously noticing the silence in the classroom and the tense atmosphere between the two students standing in the middle of the classroom, neither taking their eyes off the other.  
"Nope." Ryan spoke, his taunting eyes never leaving Kaylin's. "No problem, sir."  
"Well, then I suggest you get back in your seat so we can start the lesson. And ms Davis, welcome to Cypress Creek. Now the chapter for this week..."  
Kaylin tuned out her new teacher's words. One, because she already mastered what he was lecturing, and two, because she was too fired up to even act interested.  
Sometimes she just hated her temper, today was supposed to be a turning-point and it turned out to be just another normal day. Well, she comforted herself, at least I didn't actually hit anyone.

Ryan looked at the brunette with an evil smirk. It had been a long time since he'd had a real challenge and breaking this girl seemed like fun. He made himself a promise. He was going to hit that. Hit that and break her, and he was going to enjoy every single second of it.


	2. Friendship and sisterhood

The difference between us – Chapter 2

Author's note: Hi everyone! First off I just want to thank** Pnkprincess01** for reviewing the first chapter! Made me so happy!  
For those of you who don't know me from my other fics, my name is Karin and I live in Sweden. I'm turning 19 this summer and will at the same time graduate from a small acting-school. Well, enough about me! I'll let you get to the fic now ;)

Thank you so much for reading this, and be sure to drop me a review if you like it!

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"So how was your first day at school? Killed anyone or anything?" Kaylin took her eyes of her cereal to glare at the little sister who was sitting across the table from her with a grin on her face. "What? I was just asking."  
"It was alright, I guess." The older of the girls went back to her meal, but her sister wasn't about to let it go that easily.  
"'Alright'? Just alright, no cute guys or anything?"  
"Millie, for God's sake, just shut up and eat, alright!" Kaylin stood up angrily, the bowl of cereal in her hand as she made her way into her new room where most of her stuff were still crammed into boxes.  
She had been too tired to do it last night but she needed something to do to get her mind of the prick at school, so she got the Ipod from her backpack, turned up the volume and got started on the boxes.  
When it came to her handling stress a fight was always the best way to go, but she wasn't going to do it and end up risk having to move again. She knew her mother hated it, having to look for new jobs all the time, and Millie never wanted to leave her friends.  
In a way the moves had been easier on Kaylin, she wasn't one to trust people easily and so she had rarely made any friends once it was time for them to move again. But she hated what it did to her family, and so this time she had made a promise to her mom that she wasn't going to fight, no matter what. She wasn't going to be the one causing her family pain anymore.  
"Kay." A light knock was heard at the door but since Kaylin didn't hear it over the loud music, Millie let herself into the room.

Millie's full name was Melaina Davis, named after a nymph in Greek mythology. 15 years old and 5'3, brown hair just like her sister that reached her just above the bellybutton. She wore size 6 clothes that fit her feminine body perfectly, without looking too girly or too slutty. She was just a good-looking girl and not afraid of showing it off. She had inherited her mother's blue eyes, while Kaylin had her father's sparkly green ones.

Millie knew she said a lot of things sometimes that hurt her sister although she didn't really mean to. She was just the kind of girl who sometimes spoke before thinking but she'd never actually wanted to hurt anyone.  
"Kay." She tapped her sister's shoulder, making the older jump before turning around quickly, pulling her earphones out of her ears.  
"God, you scared me! Haven't I told you not to sneak up on me like that?" Kaylin said with a hand over her heart, and sat down on the bed.  
"Well, if you didn't shut yourself in that little world of music all the time then you would have heard that I knocked for like a minute before actually walking in." The younger of the two rolled her blue eyes with a smile.  
Her sister had always been jumpy and sometimes Millie just couldn't stop herself from teasing her about it.  
"So what's up?" Kaylin asked as Millie reached her a bottle of water and sat down next to her. She heard Millie sigh and turned her green eyes towards the girl... No, the young woman beside her. She knew that Millie wasn't a little girl anymore, but Kaylin still needed to remind herself of that sometimes.  
"Listen, about what I said..." Millie kept staring straight into the wall in front of her but Kaylin didn't ask her not to. She knew her little sister by now and whenever she was about to say something serious she didn't like looking at the person she was talking to. "You know I didn't mean anything by it, right?"  
Kaylin ran a hand through her hair and studied the younger's face before answering. She knew that but it didn't mean she wasn't right. Kaylin had been the reason for their constant moving and if she hadn't been as stupid as she was back then, then maybe they would still be living in Tacoma...  
"I know, Millie. And I'm sorry for yelling at you." The older sister looked at the younger under her short, messy bangs with a little smile.  
"It's okay, I kinda had it coming anyways." Millie winked and gave her sister a quick hug before leaving the room, deciding to go for a walk with Riley, the golden retriever their dad had bought them four years ago.

It was a sunny day and Millie truly enjoyed herself as she was walking down the street, humming Ke$ha's 'Take it Off', with Riley walking happily next to her. They had turned right at the corner of their street, then a left at the convenience-store before taking a left again at the bookstore, bringing them completely out of their working-class neighborhood. It wasn't that Millie didn't like her life, she did but she wasn't exactly proud about being pretty far down on the social food chain.  
She just liked the wealthier neighborhoods better, feeling like she belonged there.  
She had just passed one of the bigger houses on the street when she noticed a group of guys hanging out by a big, shiny Escalade and changed her course slightly, heading in their direction.

Seeing the hot girl heading their way Eric nudged Ryan's side and nodded at the brunette walking her dog. Her petite frame, dressed in a sequined chocolate-colored halterneck-top and a beige cargo miniskirt seemed to peg the guys interest and so they stepped up with appreciative smiles on their faces.  
"Hey there, gorgeous." Eric said and placed his sunglasses on the top of his head, openly checking out the new girl.  
"Well, hello to you too." Millie replied, pulling Riley to a stop. "How's it going?" She asked no one in particular, knowing exactly how to work guys like them.  
"Not too bad, the view definitely changed for the better when you showed up." Millie smiled at the blond guy coming up on her left, looking like a God, or at least what Millie imagined a god to look like.  
"Thank you. I'm Millie." Millie smiled a flirty smile and shifted her balance to one high-heeled clad foot, showing off the curve of her hips that she knew no guy could keep their eyes from, and she was right. Guys were just too easy to play sometimes!  
"Nice to meet you, Millie. I'm Eric." Eric reached out his hand and Millie took it with the same smile as before. "This is Ryan." Eric pointed to the blond God on his right. "And Aaron." The black guy in the group nodded at her with a 'what's up' and Millie simply nodded back at him.  
"And who's your boyfriend?" Eric looked down at the dog by her side with a chuckle.  
"His name's Riley." She replied but was a bit surprised when Eric crouched down in front of the dog and shook his paw.  
"Nice to meet you, Riley." Riley gave him a small but happy bark and Eric brought his hand to the dog's head and ruffled the golden fur. "He's great! How old is he?" He laughed and Millie could see the happiness in his eyes when he looked up at her.  
"My dad bought him for my sister's 14th birthday, but he's mine as much as hers."  
"Cool! I always wanted a dog but my little brother is allergic so it was a no go."  
"Anyways." Ryan interrupted, obviously wanting to talk about more interesting things than dogs. "What are you doing this Friday?"  
Millie looked up at him and smiled. Well, this was easier than she'd thought.  
"Nothing so far, why? Do you know what I'll be doing?" Her sister would have been smacking her face by now, how someone could be so obvious and yet no one calling her on it, was one thing Kaylin had never understood.  
"Actually, we do." Eric stood up again and looked at her with the kind of eyes that made Millie's heart beat a little faster. "We're having a party at Ryan's place and we'd love to see you there." Ryan looked at Eric strangely for a second but soon turned to look at Millie again.  
"And feel free to bring any friends with you." He winked at her and she laughed. Oh, she was going to invite someone, that's for sure... Although she wasn't too sure the person in question was going to like it. But in all honesty, since when did she care about that?  
"Is it okay if my sister comes? She could use an excuse to loosen up a bit." Kaylin would have killed her if she knew what she was doing but she didn't care. If she was going, so was her sister!  
"Of course, the more the merrier, right?" Eric said and quickly wrote down his number on a piece of paper, giving it to her with a wink. "You call me tomorrow and I'll tell you the way."  
Millie looked at the guys. They seemed really cool, not to mention rich considering the Escalade, so what was there to think about? She took out her cellphone and sent a text to the number in her hand, making Eric's phone beep within the second.  
He took it out of his pocket, looked at it and grinned.  
"Maybe I will." He said and with that Millie started walking away from the group, waving goodbye as she did with a big smile on her face. She had just decided that she liked Orlando... A lot.

"Dude, what did the text say?" Aaron asked once Millie had turned the corner, curious at the playful tone of Eric's voice when he'd answered her.  
Eric held up the phone so the guys could see her message.  
_"How about __you__ be a man and call __me__ tonight?"_

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Yay! Another chapter posted! I really hope you guys like it, although things haven't really been set into motion yet ;) Be sure to tell me what you thought!


	3. Party Queens

The difference between us – Chapter 3

Author's note: Once again I really want to thank all of you guys for reading, and especially thanks to **Coolcookie **and **Pnkprincess01 **for reviewing the previous chapter!  
The outfits for this chapter can be seen in my profile, if I dare say so myself they're really nice ;)  
Enjoy chapter 3!

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"Please remind me why I haven't killed you for this yet, Millie?" Kaylin asked, eying the huge house, that was more like a mansion, sceptically.  
"Because you're secretly hoping you have a good time, and if you killed me how would you be able to thank me for bringing you in the first place?" Millie winked and pulled her boring sister inside.  
Kaylin didn't think she was exaggerating when she said she saw half of her new school there, she had never thought it would be possible to actually fill the huge place with people but she had clearly been wrong. Wherever she looked there were people dancing, talking or just simply making out and she suddenly felt very out of place. She had never really been a party-girl, that had been Millie's self-appointed title and even though she knew she looked good in those light blue hip-hugging jeans, that white corset-like top Millie had borrowed her, and a pair of 4 inch mesh sandals from GUESS, she still felt ugly when she looked at the minimal amount of clothing that most of the girl were wearing, showing off a lot more of their bodies than Kaylin ever had.

Millie, as always, looked absolutely gorgeous! Her sense of fashion had been influenced by her jobs as a model, knowing exactly what suited her and what to stay away from. Tonight's outfit was a fiery red cross-backed minidress and a pair of red ribbon-tie sandals, her long bangs braided out of her face with the rest hanging freely and a pair of smokey eyes to top it all off.  
The guys looked at her little sister approvingly as they walked through the house, Millie searching for the guys who had invited them and Kaylin just wanting to go home.

"Millie!" The Davis sisters turned around to see who had called Millie and their eyes quickly fell on the guy who came jogging up to them. He was tall, somewhere around 6'3 Kaylin guessed, brown spiky hair and once he got closer she noticed his brown/green eyes. She knew how Millie loved eyes like his and smiled a little at the thought of her sister always going for guys depending on their eye-color.

"Hey, you must be Millie's sister. I'm Eric." Eric reached out his hand with a warm smile and Kaylin shook it with an equally warm one.  
"Kaylin." He stared at her for a moment once she had told him her name.  
"Really?" Kaylin nodded, his fascination with her name seemed a little odd to her but then again, Millie had never been known for choosing the brightest guys as her dates.  
"Had it my whole life."  
"Cool. Well, come on, let's get you something to drink." One of Eric's hands placed itself on the small of Millie's back as they made their way through the crowd, a move that Kaylin noticed but chose not to comment on. Her little sister knew how to handle herself, she didn't need Kaylin for that.

"Millie, you came." The voice made Kaylin's body shudder, and not in a good way. This was his party?  
"Yeah. Well, I couldn't break a promise, now could I?" Millie giggled as she took a sip from her beer. The almost childish giggle suddenly reminded Kaylin of the fact that her sister was only 15 years old, and here she was flirting with these Ryan and Eric-characters as if it was completely normal behavior. Blame it on their mother for being too strict on Kaylin and too easy-going on Millie.

"Hello there, Kaylin. I thought you had to get settled in." Ryan said with a mocking voice and Kaylin silently cursed herself as her cheeks turned one shade redder.  
"Yeah, well. Some horny teenagers invited my little sister to a party and what kind of sister would I be to throw her to the lions like that?" Kaylin stood up straight and looked right into his blue eyes, proving she knew how to give as good as she got.  
Millie just stood there beside Eric, her eyes traveling between the blonde God and the feisty girl who was dressed in Kaylin's clothes. She knew Kaylin was a fighter but to be able to hold herself together like that when someone was openly mocking her, really impressed her.

"So Millie's your sister?" An evil twinkle appeared in his eyes and Kaylin's blood froze when she saw him walk up to her baby sister, placing a tanned arm around her shoulders with a smirk.  
"I see your way of thinking doesn't seem to run in the family. She dresses just like the person you claim not to be." Neither Millie or Eric understood what those words meant but Kaylin did. He had basically called Millie a whore right in front of her and it was with the fury thumping in her eardrums that Kaylin stepped up to him, their faces only inches apart from each other.  
"You never, and I mean never talk about my sister like that again, do you understand?" She hissed through gritted teeth, but her reaction just seemed to add fuel to the fire because Ryan just smirked.  
"What are you going to do about it? Gonna step on my feet with those hooker-heels of yours?" Oh, was he enjoying this! He never would have thought it could be so much fun getting a rise out of anybody before he met Kaylin, she was so easy to read it was almost unfair... Almost.

Millie could see the madness in Kaylin's eyes as she stepped up to Ryan, and for the first time in her life she felt a tinge of fear surge through her body at the sight of her sister. Those beautiful green eyes were basically shooting thunderbolts at the man in front of her and her knuckles were turning white from her trying to stop her fists from meeting with the blonde's face.  
"I made a promise not to fight, and I'm planning on sticking to it. But say something like that again and that promise goes out the window." Kaylin warned with a dark voice, before she turned around and walked straight out of the livingroom, making her way through the crowd until she found an empty balcony with view over the sea.

There she stood, the anger thumping violently through her veins as she breathed in the salty air into her burning lungs. She took a swig of her beer and silently cursed herself for every mistake she had ever done. For the time when she was five and told her dad she hated him for not being able to come to her dance-recital. For not being there for her mom when her dad died. For always yelling at her sister. For ever meeting Logan and falling for his bullshit. For bringing all this shit on her family.  
Sometimes she just hated herself for everything she had done, for hurting the people she loved. Now was one of those times and although she wasn't one for drinking she emptied her beer-bottle in one last swig and stared out over the ocean, allowing her rapidly beating heart to calm down a bit.

"Can I ask you a question?" Millie's soft voice was like the hand of an angel on her shoulder and with a brave smile on her lips Kaylin turned to her sister. "How does a guy like Ryan not fall under the category of cute guys?" Millie leaned on the railing and turned her eyes to the calm sea.  
"What?"  
"On our first day of school. When I asked you if you had met any cute guys, you said no. How does Ryan not count as one?"  
Kaylin chuckled before sighing tiredly.  
"I don't know. I guess you and I don't have the same definition of 'cute guys'." The older girl nudged her sister with her elbow, strangely enough she felt herself relax even though they were talking about Ryan.

"Well, if I were you I'd just screw him." Millie's neutral voice made Kaylin choke.  
"Millie!"  
"What? I would." The younger answered defensively making Kaylin cover her eyes with a hand.  
"God, how did my innocent little sister turn into a 15 year old slut?"  
"Hey, God has nothing to do with this, Kay." Millie nudged her sister with a giggle.  
"How did you grow up so fast? I mean, here I am, 18 years old and the only boyfriend I've ever had turned out to be a complete..."  
"Psycho?" Millie finished the sentence for her and Kaylin couldn't help herself but laugh. The mere thought of Logan Anderson was usually enough to make her skin crawl but right now it didn't. No matter how much she had hurt her in the past Millie was always there for her when things got bad and this time was no different.  
"Yeah, something like that." Kaylin reached over and hugged her little sister, hard. "I love you, Mills."  
"I love you too, Kay." Millie let go of her and it only took Kaylin one second to recognize that look in her eyes.

"So why are you really here, Mills?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, laughter hidden in her voice as she watched Millie's eyes grow more like a kicked puppy's by the second.  
"Um, listen, Kay. Would it be okay if I just... leave for the night?" Millie looked at Kaylin with such pleading eyes the older was amazed she didn't just say yes immediately.  
"With who?" She knew her sister far too well to know she wouldn't be leaving alone.  
"That guy." Millie pointed over to the tall guy talking to Ryan, remembering the guy's name vaguely but wondering if her sister did as well Kaylin looked at her for a second before asking the best question she could think of to determine whether or not to be a good sister or not.

"What's his name?"  
"You and I both know his name's Eric. So can I go? Please tell me I can go." Once again those manipulative eyes made Kaylin weak and she looked over at Eric before looking back at her little sister.  
"Alright, I'll let you go..."  
"Thank you! You're the best..."  
"I have two conditions though." Kaylin interrupted her sister's thank you-speech. Millie seemed to tense a little but still nodded for her to continue. "One. If mom asks, I kept an eye on you all night."  
"I could totally do that, no problem... What's number two?"

Kaylin took a deep breath, she couldn't believe she was about to do this!  
"Number two is... Just take care of yourself." Millie threw herself around her sister's neck, telling her 'thank you' so many times Kaylin quickly lost count of them.

"Okay, so I'll be going. Can't keep my man waiting. And don't worry, Kay. I'll be as safe as the gold at Fort Knox."  
Kaylin was actually a little impressed at her sister for knowing that but seeing her precious little sister leave with the freakishly tall man made her realize that she was now all alone with Ryan, if you didn't count the hundred other people at the party.

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter, send me some love if you did ;)


	4. A good laugh

The difference between us – Chapter 4 - A good laugh

Author's note: Happy Valentine's Day everybody! I don't know about you but I'm usually very skeptic to Valentine's Day, seeing as never tend to have anyone to spend it with (not that it's different today :P) but this year I just feel different. I'm going to spend it with my mom and I haven't seen her for three weeks now so I'm actually excited!  
Well, that's enough of my ramblings! I want to thank pnkprincess01 for her wonderful review on the last chapter, and wish all of a you a happy reading and a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to let me know if you liked it ;) Enjoy!

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Chapter 4 - A good laugh 

"Kaylin! Are you up?" Kaylin cringed at her mother's loud voice from the other side of the door, not wanting to wake up just yet.  
"Aha." The girl mumbled but still hid under the covers knowing that her mother was going to come inside and pull the curtains apart, revealing the well-meaning but still so annoying sun.  
"I'm coming in."  
Arielle stepped through the door, walked up to the window and sure enough she pulled apart the dark curtains, allowing the sunlight to seep into the room, before walking back to Kaylin, sitting down next to her on the bed.

"Do you know where Melaina is? She wasn't in her room." Arielle asked and looked at her oldest daughter with examining eyes.  
"Relax, mom. She went out to get some breakfast and do some window shopping, you know what she's like in the mornings."  
_"And the reward for the best lie goes to... Kaylin Davis!"_  
Arielle visibly relaxed and sighed in relief.  
"Oh good, so you both slept here last night?"  
Oh shit!  
"Of course, what kind of sister do you think I am?" Kay sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.  
"I'm sorry, baby. I was just worried about leaving the two of you alone so soon, but my new boss really needed me to pull an all-nighter, so I hope the two of you weren't too uncomfortable on your own." Arielle looked a little guilty but Kaylin spoke up quickly before her mother turned on the water-works.  
"Really, mom. It's okay, we had a good time. We made macaroni and cheese and watched a movie. It was cool." _"Okay, since when did you become a compulsive liar?"_

"Well, I'll let you get back to sleep but I need you up by four." Arielle got up from the bed and Kay went back under her soft, warm covers.  
"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"  
Arielle turned around when she reached the door, the hint of a smile on her lips. A genuine smile that Kaylin hadn't seen in a long time.  
"Because my boss wanted to invite us for dinner at his place tonight and I accepted. Millie can't come because of her first cheerleader-practice but I think the two of us will have a great time."  
"That's great, mom! So your going to sleep your way to the top, I like that." Kaylin said and laughed when her mother's face turned several shades redder.  
"Kaylin Davis. You got that mouth from your father." Arielle laughed back and it had been a while since Kaylin had seen her that genuinely happy.  
"Yeah, and I'm proud of it. Don't worry mom, I'll be on my best behavior tonight." Kaylin made an invisible cross over her heart with a warm smile.  
"Thanks sweetheart, it means a lot to me." With that Arielle left the room, leaving Kaylin alone again to ponder about what had happened last night after Millie left.

_"So now you're all alone." Ryan came up beside her and although she felt a sudden urge to turn around and slap him, she kept her eyes on the little sister not wanting to show that he was really getting under her skin.  
"Yes, well. Millie's always had a mind of her own." She kept staring at her sister's back, even as Ryan walked up next to her, leaning against both her and the railing as he did.  
"And that doesn't bother you? Some random guy using her for the night?" He was baiting her again, she knew it but wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.  
"'Using her'? Listen, if there is one thing my little sister knows better than how to dress up for a guy, it's how to play him and making him do whatever she wants him to. So no, I'm not worried."  
"So you're admitting that she's a slut?" Ryan leaned closer and Kaylin could feel his breath on her exposed neck as he did.  
"No, she's just a girl who knows what she wants and goes for it. She's not that different from you guys, except for the fact that she actually has a heart."  
__At this Ryan said nothing, he just looked at her. No, he stared at her in silence until it actually started to make Kaylin feel a little guilty about what she'd said. There was something in those blue eyes that made her chest feel a little tighter and without saying anything more she left the party, driving home in the middle of the night, slightly drunk but in desperate need to get away from those deep blue eyes.  
_

"Kay, are you up?" This time it was Millie behind the closed door, and when the older of the two told her to come in, Millie rushed into the room and threw herself down on the bed next to her.  
"Good morning!" Millie giggled happily and her smile could have been spotted a mile away and for some odd reason Kaylin felt her lips curl up into one of her own.  
"Well, good morning to you too, Mills. I take it you had a good night?"

Kaylin couldn't remember a time when she had seen her sister blush as madly as she did once the question was asked and she just couldn't stop giggling. And then she did something that Kaylin had never pegged Millie to do, she covered her blushing face with a pillow as if she was embarrassed... Millie was never embarrassed!  
"Hey, don't leave me hanging!" Kaylin laughed and tugged the pillow away from her sister's grasp.  
"It was the most amazing sex I have ever had!" Millie turned a shade redder, Kaylin hadn't thought it was possible until she saw it.  
"Yeah, and?"  
"And what?"  
"Where are all the juicy details? You're usually dying to tell me!" The older laughed and hit her sister playfully in the stomach with the pillow.  
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Millie tried to grab the pillow from her, to stop Kaylin from forcing the truth out of her with it.  
"Excuse me? The great Millie Davis isn't bragging about her conquest... Are you feeling okay?" Kaylin asked in a dramatic voice and placed a hand on Millie's forehead, as if to see if she had a fever.  
"Haha, very funny, Kay." Millie swatted away her sister's hand with an embarrassed smile, her eyes dead-set on her hands as they came to rest on her lap.  
"Spit it out, Mills. Or I'm telling mom where you were last night." Kaylin threw the covers aside and was about to get out of the bed when her sister grabbed onto her and pulled her back, bringing a triumphing smile onto the elder's lips.

There was no way she was really going to tell their mom where Millie had spent the night, she would have been in so much trouble for letting the 15-year old leave the party with a horny 18 year old boy whom she knew nothing about what so ever.

"I think..." Millie started but stopped with an embarrassed look on her face.  
"You think?" Kaylin urged her to go on.  
"I think I might..."  
"You think you might what?" Kaylin pushed on, enjoying every single second of her sister's despair.  
"I think I might like him. God, it's so embarrassing! I can't believe I just said that!" Millie dove down into the covers, hiding her scarlet-red face in the soft, fluffy mess.  
"What's so embarrassing about that?" Kaylin asked, amused by the whole situation but still careful about not making it seem too obvious.  
"It's embarrassing because I don't like guys!" Millie exclaimed, coming out of her hiding. "I never like guys, I just do 'em and dump 'em, no strings attached! So why did this time have to be different?"  
"Well..." Kaylin started, searching to find the right words. "Maybe it's not such a bad thing. I mean, we're here to stay this time, and I think it's about time you got to know what it's like to sleep with one person more than once."

Okay, maybe not the wisest choice of words but she had seemed to get her point across, and that had been the whole idea.

"But come on! Did you even see him last night? He is so gorgeous! He could have any girl he wants, so why the hell would he choose me?" Was the world coming to an end? Had Kaylin just witnessed Millie Davis, her little sister, doubting herself and her ability to bring a man to his knees?  
"He would choose you because you are a smart, beautiful, strong and talented girl with her heart in the right place. You are one of the toughest people I know and I've always admired the way you carry yourself and how loyal you are to your friends and family."  
"What are you saying?" Millie pouted like a little child again and Kaylin pulled her into a hug before taking her face in her hands, looking straight into her eyes as she summed up her short speech.  
"I'm saying that you're beautiful, inside and out and if he doesn't get that, than he sure as hell doesn't deserve you."  
"You sure about that?" God, her small uncertain voice for once made her seem younger than 15 and it was with a reassuring smile that Kaylin once again pulled Millie into her arms.

"Listen, Mills. I've been thinking about something..." She said as she released her little sister a few moments later.  
"What's that?" Millie sat up straight and looked into her sister's green eyes.  
"Why is it that your first cheerleader-practice is on a Saturday? I have never heard of any cheerleader who practices on a Saturday before." Kaylin's voice was dripping with skepticism and from the grin on her sister's face she could quickly figure out what was going on.  
"You're meeting him again, aren't you?" Millie nodded like a girl possessed with a grin that would make even the dead smile and Kaylin couldn't even be annoyed at her for lying. Millie's laugh had always been contagious and right now Kaylin didn't mind sharing one with her favorite.

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So did you guys like it? Be sure to let me know and constructive criticism is always appreciated ;)


	5. Surprise, surprise!

**The difference between us – Chapter 5 - Surprise, surprise!**

**Author's Note: Hi again guys! Gonna make this quick seeing as I have classes in about ten minutes, but I just want to thank all of you who read this!**  
**Special thanks to Emzy2k11, jessicaahh and the always faithful pnkprincess01 for reviewing! *sends some loving your way***

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**Chapter 5 - Surprise, surprise!**

_"You have got to be kidding me!"_ Kaylin groaned silently to herself as her mother drove their old Dodger up the long driveway to the big mansion-like house.  
"What did you say your boss's name was again, mom?" She asked, fearing the answer.  
"Robert McCarthy, why?" Arielle looked at her daughter as she parked the old car, in great contrast to the luxurious manor in front of them.  
"Just..." Kaylin glanced at the man who was currently walking down the steps to great them. "The name sounded familiar."  
"Arielle, you made it." Mr. McCarthy walked up to them with a smile and placed a gentle hand on Arielle's shoulder before turning his attention to her daughter. "You must be Kaylin?" He asked and reached out a hand which she accepted with a polite smile.  
"Yes, sir."  
"Oh, no need to be polite with me, Kaylin. You can just call me Robert." Something in his voice made Kaylin giggle a little but answered him nonetheless.  
"Um, I'll try but I might end up calling you Mr. McCarthy by mistake."  
"Fair enough." Robert McCarthy smiled a smile, full of confidence and Kaylin instantly saw the similarity between him and his son. "Now, come inside and we'll get you two something to drink." He continued as he showed them both inside.

The house seemed so much bigger than it had last night, Kaylin thought to herself as they made their way into the livingroom. There was some music playing in the background but it was no where as loud as last night and it was more along the line of classical tunes than party-music.  
As Robert was telling Arielle about what kinds of wine he had to offer for the night, Kaylin noticed a familiar figure lazily making his way down the stairs and she sighed at the look that made its way across his face as he set eyes on her as well.  
"Ah, Ryan. There you are." Robert motioned for the blond teenager to come and say hi, and Kaylin was surprised at how he just did what he was supposed to do. She really hadn't pegged him for the kind of guy to listen to his parents.

"Arielle Davis, meet my son Ryan. Ryan, meet my new assistant Arielle Davis." Robert introduced and Ryan shook Arielle's hand with a polite smile.  
"Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Davis."  
"It's nice to meet you too, Ryan. Robert has told me so much about you." Something very close to annoyance showed itself in Ryan's blue eyes but Kaylin was sure she was the only one who noticed.  
"I'm sure he did." He turned his eyes towards the slightly smaller brunette and the hint of a smirk hid at the corner of his lips. "And who is this lovely lady?" He asked as if he had never set eyes on her before tonight.  
"This is my oldest daughter Kaylin." Arielle gave her daughter a slight push in Ryan's direction, obviously not liking the way Kaylin was acting towards the polite young man.  
"We've met." She simply said, keeping her green eyes locked in his blue ones. Almost challenging him to try and do something stupid.  
"Really?" Robert asked both of them, seemingly noticing the small sparks that was flying between the two of them. "Where?"  
"We have math together." Ryan answered shrugging and left the room to grab a can of coke from the fridge in the kitchen.  
"Really?" Kaylin nodded, confused by the teenager's sudden change in mood. "Are you any good?"  
"She's the family genius." Arielle proudly stated, causing Kaylin to blush a little at the praise.

"Luckily I got the brains from my father, because your math-skills are close to non-existent." Kaylin nudged her mother playfully with her elbow, making the older woman laugh a warm laugh.  
"That's not actually not too far from the truth as you'd expect." Arielle added when she noticed Robert looking that the two with amused eyes.  
"She really stinks." Kaylin was so into the whole teasing-atmosphere she didn't notice Ryan coming back from the kitchen, watching her with examining eyes as if he was trying to figure something out.  
"Hey, now. Let's not give off the wrong impression to our hosts." Arielle laughed and ruffled her daughter's hair playfully while Robert turned to Ryan.  
"Ryan, you go get Kaylin something to drink, will you?"  
"Actually, why don't you take Kaylin with you? I don't want her to get bored this early from hanging with us ancient people." Arielle added in. She and Robert seemed quite alike so far and Kaylin had a feeling that it was going to get worse as the night progressed so as much as she would have liked to decline, she was also kind of happy to get out of their company even if just for a couple of minutes.

"Do you want a coke?" Ryan asked, that teasing look back in his eyes again once they were out of sight from their respective parents.  
"Yeah, thanks."  
Ryan reached her the can and an involuntary shiver went through her body when his fingers brushed against hers in the process. He leaned back against the counter, his eyes never leaving her as she jumped up on the marble-counter, sipping her coke as she preoccupied herself by looking everywhere but at the young man in front of her.  
She hated the silence but couldn't think of anything to say that Ryan wouldn't mock her for or try to turn around to piss her off again.

Ryan hadn't really known what to expect when his father had ordered him to stay at home because he had guests coming over. Most of the time his father didn't care if he was there or not but tonight seemed to have been different and once Ryan had seen who their guests were he had felt the night turn into one that he might actually enjoy.  
He admitted that last night hadn't gone exactly according to plan... Okay, it was a failure when it came to Kaylin, but he just couldn't help himself. He always felt this thrill rushing through his body when he managed to get a reaction from the strong-willed brunette.

He wasn't going to deny that she looked beautiful tonight. She may have been gorgeous at the party but tonight she simply looked... Beautiful.  
A cute white ruffled skirt that stopped mid-thigh, a tight navy-blue one-shoulder top and her chocolate hair hanging freely with that natural curl to it made her look stunning and Ryan actually had a hard time trying not to check her out. After she had left last night he had gotten to thinking, something he normally didn't really like doing, he was more of a spontaneous kind of guy, but desperate times call for desperate measures after all.  
Kaylin fascinated him beyond words and that fascination was starting to grow into something far from what he had originally planned. He wanted to know more about her, and not only to get her into bed. Last night he had found himself wanting to know what was going on beneath that calm charade she put up around him, he wanted to get to know her... Something he had never really wanted before.

"What?" Kaylin finally grew tired of his staring and decided to break the silence in the kitchen.  
"Huh?" Ryan seemed to snap out of his trance and looked at her with slightly confused eyes.  
"Why are you staring at me? Do I look that ugly when I dress up?" She asked in that calm voice that had Ryan's brain doing laps inside his head, trying to figure her out.  
"Nah, you look pretty damn gorgeous if you ask me." Ryan shrugged with a serious face, searching intently for a reaction and he wasn't disappointed when he saw her cheeks turn a few shades redder.  
"Well, I guess I did ask you, so thanks." She smiled a little shyly at him before bending her head down a bit to try and hide the blush, making him smile a big smile that revealed his perfect white teeth.

"You're not used to getting compliments are you, Kaylin?" There was a slight seriousness in his voice that made Kaylin look up at him again with questioning eyes.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I would think that a pretty girl like you were used to people telling you that all the time, but you react as if you don't know how to handle a compliment."  
"I'm not pretty." Kaylin shook her head, her chocolate curls swaying softly against her bare shoulder. "My sister is. Not me." Her voice may have been indifferent but the look in her green eyes was one of sadness and Ryan instantly decided that he didn't like it.  
"Bullshit." He simply said and walked up to her, effectively placing himself between her slightly parted legs, bringing his face only inches from hers. "Anyone who doesn't see that you're beautiful needs to seriously get their eyes checked." He smiled a little as the small blush spread across her face again and placed his hands on the counter, on either side of her, causing him to lean in a little closer. He heard her breath hitch at their closeness and made a mental note to remember how to make her react that way.  
"W... what are you doing, Ryan?" She stuttered as her blushing increased, knowing that he was watching her every move and enjoying every single moment of it.  
"Trying to figure out a way to convince you that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." His sincere blue eyes gazed into hers and Kaylin felt herself melt a little as his fingers brushed against the back of her hand oh-so softly.

She had never felt this warm inside before and at that moment there was nothing but the two of them. Kaylin and Ryan. Her problems, her fears, her regrets were all gone and that left only the feeling that maybe things had turned out for the better this time. Just maybe.

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Like what you just read? Be sure to let me know ;)


	6. A storm is coming

**The difference between us – Chapter 6 – A storm is coming**

**Author's Note: Hi again guys! Sorry for not updating for a while, been on tour with my class for the past week and my mind has been stuck on that alone. But now I'm back and I really hope you like it! Thanks to all you wonderful people who reviewed, it means a lot!**  
**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 6 - A storm is coming.**

Kaylin looked at the grinning blonde standing in front of her with skeptical eyes. It was a rainy Friday afternoon, Millie was with Eric again and her mom had needed to fix some things at work so Kaylin had been pleased to know she was going to have the house all to herself, although those plans now seemed to have been shot to pieces.

"What are you doing here, Ryan?" She leaned against the open door, effectively blocking it.  
Ryan looked at her for a second before stepping up to her, so close he could see the little gold flakes in her green eyes, before he opened his bag and pulled out a math-book with a pleased smile.  
"Math." He wiggled the book in front of her face before placing it in her hand.  
"What?" She asked confused. That wasn't her book and even if it was what was he doing returning it?  
"Congratulations! You have been appointed my private math-tutor." He laughed and pushed himself past Kaylin and walked into the house, looking around as he did.

"Excuse me? When did you decide that?" Kaylin closed the door and followed him into the kitchen.  
Ryan looked around for a few seconds before answering her, obviously intrigued by her mother's "creative" way of decorating the room.  
"Actually it was our parents, I didn't really have any say in it." Yeah, right! Like she actually believed that.  
"So I take it you're appalled by the mere thought of being stuck studying with me?" Kaylin asked as she placed the book on the kitchen-table before placing her hands on her hips, silently challenging him to tell her the truth.  
"Aww, don't flatter yourself, Kay. You haven't scared me that much." He smirked and sat down at the table, flipping his book open and patted the seat next to him as an invitation.

"Too bad." She smiled, making him laugh. "Just gonna get my book, I'll be right back."  
"Don't take too long, beautiful!" She heard Ryan call as she walked into her room to fetch her book, pencil and whatever else she might need.

Just as a reflex she checked her make-up in the mirror before walking back out again, making sure she didn't look like a raccoon or anything.  
She sat down at the table and flipped to the page that Ryan wanted to work on. She was a few chapters ahead of the class so she didn't really mind helping him, in fact she kind of liked it.

It had been almost a week since the dinner at Ryan's house and although they weren't really close friends they didn't act like strangers towards each other either. There had been no kiss that night, although Kaylin had, for a second or two, kind of hoped for it to be but she knew it was probably for the best. She hadn't known him for long and starting something now would most likely lead to trouble, or even worse, heartache.  
Kaylin had learned to relax around him though, allowing herself to break that mask of indifference she had worn whenever she was with him, and thankfully Ryan seemed to have given up on trying to annoy her just for the fun of it.

"So you see, if you first multiply these two factors here, then the rest of the equation is a piece of cake." Kaylin smiled triumphantly at him as she put down her own pencil and stretched out her stiff body a little, glad that they had managed to get through the chapter without Ryan giving up or her losing her patience. Ryan McCarthy might have been smart but when it came to math he was quite the blockhead.

They had been at it for almost two hours already and although Ryan felt quite drained from trying to figure out the proper way to get through the chapter, he felt very proud of himself for being able to do it.  
"You want something to drink? I think we deserve it after all this hard work." Kaylin got up from her seat and walked over to the fridge to grab her and Ryan a pair of sodas.  
"You wanna know something funny?" Ryan looked over his shoulder and grinned a little as he caught a glimpse of her ass as she bent down for the cans of soda.  
"Sure." She said and straightened up again, making Ryan's eyes dart up to her face instantly.  
"People have tried to explain this to me for weeks without me understanding shit. You come into my life and you manage to get me through the whole chapter in less than two hours. That's a frickin' miracle, Kay."

Kaylin said nothing, causing the room to go quiet. The only things that could be heard was Riley dreaming in his bed in the livingroom and the sound of the heavy rain hitting the windows.  
She walked up to him and handed him his soda with a small smile, he had been right that night. She really didn't know how to take a compliment and so instead of saying something wrong and making a fool out of herself, she just kept quiet as she sat down next to him, fingering her pencil nervously.  
Why did she always turn nervous whenever he gave her a compliment? She almost suspected he was trying to get her accustomed to it by giving her one every now and then, but so far it wasn't working. In fact, it just made her blushing even worse.

Kaylin reached across the table and turned on the radio, at least trying to chase away the silence with something other than speech.

_"Strong winds are currently passing over the greater part of Orlando and we want to inform the public to stay indoors, and away from windows and doors until the storm has passed. The weather forecast tells us that it should be safe to be outside again in at least five hours or so."_

Ryan and Kaylin looked out the window and saw how the rain was pouring down and the wind increasing by the second. Kaylin went over to the phone and called her mother, who picked up after only a few seconds.  
"Kaylin?" Her mother's soft voice was heard through the phone and Kaylin smiled a little.  
"Yeah, it's me." She said and pulled her long hair over to her left shoulder, leaving her neck free from the thick hair. "Listen, I just heard about the storm on the news. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Kaylin turned so she was facing Ryan and she felt her chest tighten at the warm look in his eyes as he watched her.  
"Oh, sweetie. I'm fine, I'm still at work but it looks like I'm going to have to stay here tonight. What about you? Will you be okay on your own?" Arielle answered, the worry shining through her otherwise calm voice.  
"I'm going to be fine, Ryan came over to study so I'm in good company." Kaylin saw the pleased smile on Ryan's face and she felt herself smile as well at the sight of it.  
"Well, that's good. I don't like the thought of you being alone in the house during a storm."  
"Relax, mom. Even if Ryan wasn't here I'd still have Riley, right?" Kaylin laughed, and hearing her mother laugh on the other line made her actually miss her although she had seen her that very morning.

"Faithful Riley." Arielle chuckled as she used her late husband's nickname for the golden retriever. "You take care of each other, you hear me? All of you, and don't worry about Millie. I'll call her to make sure everything's alright."  
"Alright, mom. I promise we'll take good care of each other. Be careful, I love you." Kaylin's voice turned serious and her eyes took on a shimmer of sadness.  
"I love you too, Kaylin."

Kaylin hung up the phone and looked into Ryan's blue eyes, the calm in them soothing her worry a bit. She was still amazed about how his eyes could cause her mood to change so rapidly.  
"That your mom?" The blonde God asked, standing up and walking up to her, stopping only inches from her.  
"Yeah, she told me to tell you to take care of me." She smiled. Those hadn't been her mother's exact words, but the meaning was still the same, no?  
Ryan took another step closer, their breaths mixing as they looked into each others eyes.  
"Did she now?" His voice was low and there was a hint of a teasing in it, but it was a nice kind of teasing. One that Kaylin kind of liked. "Do you have any suggestions on how I do that?" He asked and Kaylin giggled almost nervously.  
"I might have. One or two." She was testing him, wanting to see how far he was prepared to take this.  
"I'm all ears." His face was closing in on hers slowly as he spoke. His blue eyes sparkling dangerously beautiful and his lips very inviting.  
"I'm sure you are." Kaylin whispered, not finding it in herself to stop what was about to happen...__

Bark!  
Both Ryan and Kaylin were jerked back to reality by the loud bark from the golden retriever at their feet. They looked at Riley for a moment before looking back at each other, both bursting out laughing at the awkward movie-like situation. Kaylin noticed Ryan's hands on her hips but she didn't say anything about it, it was actually kind of nice and her stomach felt as if thousands of butterflies were fluttering inside when his thumbs brushed gently against the skin just above the waistband of her jeans.

"You said you had a suggestion on what to do." Ryan whispered with a little smile that was so unlike the usual bad boy-image he gave off.  
"How about a dinner and a movie?" Kaylin placed her arms around his chiseled waist with a happy smile on her face, really enjoying the warmth that rushed through her body when she felt his muscles relax under her touch.  
"I sure hope you're planning on cooking, 'cause there is no way we're going outside in this weather." He looked out the window again, only to see the storm increasing outside, before turning his eyes back to the girl in front of him.  
"You are going to cook and I'm going to help you, mister McCarthy." Kaylin looked up at him and grinned, making her look a lot cuter than what was healthy.  
"But I don't know how to cook." Ryan objected but the pair of arms around his waist tightened, effectively shutting him up as the feeling of it sent little jolts of electricity throughout his entire body.  
"Well, I am your tutor so I guess I'm just gonna have to teach something other than math today." She giggled and at that moment Ryan didn't care if he didn't live up to his macho-man-reputation. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, causing her to blush cutely again.  
"You're in charge, teach. I hope I don't disappoint."  
Kaylin looked at him and raised a confident eyebrow.  
"I'm sure you won't."

"Are you sure about this, Kay? It just doesn't feel right."  
"Oh, come on. Just put it in already!"  
"I don't know, it just doesn't feel natural."  
"That's because you're new at this, after a few times it will feel natural, now just do it."

"Alright. Now what?" Ryan wiped his forehead with the glove-covered hand and looked at the girl smiling next to him.  
"Now you just set the timer on twenty minutes and go get me something to drink from the fridge." Kaylin smiled and jumped down from the kitchen-counter that she'd been sitting on for the past ten minutes.  
"Whoever knew it was so much work to make a lasagna." Ryan mumbled as he was getting them each a can of Sprite.  
"Well, usually it doesn't take an hour and a half to get it ready but seeing as it's your first time I'll forgive you." Kaylin laughed and caught the can that came flying at her, before walking into the livingroom, sitting down on the couch with a happy sigh.

"So now it's just the movie-part left, right?" Ryan joined her on the couch and looked straight into her sparkly green eyes. So far he had managed to stop himself from complimenting her for those beautiful eyes, knowing that it was too cheesy and lame to pull out this soon.  
"Yeah, although I'm sure you've watched every movie we have already. We don't really make a habit of buying the newest dvds." Kaylin opened her can of soda and sipped it blushingly. She couldn't recall a time when she had blushed as mush as she had since she'd met Ryan.  
"That's alright. Any good movie worth watching is worth watching twice." The blonde God got up from the couch and crouched down on the floor next to Riley to check out the stacked dvds next to the dvd-player.  
Kaylin felt a little embarrassed about the movies they owned. They were mostly Disney-movies and such but they'd had higher priorities than to buy new dvds after her dad had died a couple of years back.

"How about this one?" Ryan raised a dvd above his head. "I've never watched this before." Kaylin got up and sat down next to him to see what movie it was and was almost outraged to see 'Beauty and the Beast' in his hand.  
"Are you kidding me? This is only like the best movie Disney has ever made!" She exclaimed, her interest in old Disney-classics showing.  
"Really? Then how about we watch it and I'll see for myself?" He winked and Kaylin drew back from him with a mock-hurt look on her face.  
"So you don't trust my judgment? I'm hurt, Ryan. I'm hurt really bad by this." She said dramatically and raised a hand to her forehead as if to emphasize her point.  
"Of course I do, Kay." He pulled her into his lap and kissed her temple softly causing her to giggle. "You know I would never hurt you, right?" She knew his words could have been meant as a joke but something about them had still made her feel warm inside, and she knew deep down he hadn't refereed to her preferences in movies.  
She leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips, almost hesitantly at first but feeling the electricity jolt through her body as he responded to her advances made her braver and soon enough she found herself allow him access to her mouth.

She had never experienced a kiss like that. It was hot and exhilarating and at the same time gentle and sweet, very much like Ryan himself.  
When they pulled apart for air, too soon in both of their opinions, Kaylin rested her forehead softly against Ryan's and looked into his bright blue eyes with a serene look on her face.

"Yeah, I know."

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**Finally a kiss! Hope I didn't disappoint ;) If you liked it feel free to let me know! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Not sure where to go

**The difference between us – Chapter 7 – Not sure where to go**

Kaylin was walking down the corridor with a somber look on her face. She had come straight from a physics-class where they had been given a surprise-quiz, and on any normal day she wouldn't have let it bother her but the stress of being in one place for too long was starting to get to her and it just made her angry and annoyed at everything.  
She was really book-smart, no subject in school had ever been a problem for her, but she knew that she had blown this test. Her mind was in utter chaos and no matter what she couldn't get rid of that frustration.

"Hey, beautiful!" Ryan jogged up to her but she just scowled in response, causing him to raise an eyebrow and grab a soft hold around her arm, pulling her to face him. "Okay, what's up?" He looked at her with investigative eyes and was a little shocked to find her staring back at him defiantly.  
"It's nothing." She simply said and tried to turn away from him, only to find Ryan tightening his hold on her a little more.  
"You honestly expect me to believe that with that annoyed face of yours?" He could see anger clouding her features but didn't let go of her, his own temper starting to show itself.  
"Honestly, I don't give a shit what you believe, Ryan. Now let go of me." Even her voice showed her badly-concealed anger towards him and it made Ryan's blood start boiling as well.  
"Not until you tell me what's up." Kaylin could feel his fingers digging into her arm but she was too pissed off to mention it to him.  
"It's none of your god-damn business, McCarthy." She tried to yank her arm away from him, feeling the familiar anger clouding her vision and somewhere in the back of her head there was a voice screaming at her to calm down but she was too far gone to pay it any attention.  
"Now let go of me!"

Once again she tried to yank away but he was stronger than she had given him credit for and before she knew it he had pushed her up against the wall and was pressing himself against her smaller form.  
"What are you gonna do about it?" He whispered challenging into her ear and Kaylin felt her anger evaporate, quickly being replaced with a familiar fear that made her blood run cold.  
"Ryan, get off of me." She tried, her voice suddenly revealing a tinge of fear but the fighter was too busy to notice it.  
"Or you'll do what?" He was suddenly turned on by the thought of his girlfriend trapped between him and the wall, dressed only in a pair of hip-hugging light blue shorts and a white camisole that showed off her perfect breasts...  
Kaylin felt her breath hitch in her throat when her boyfriend pressed himself even closer to her, the pressure on now both of her arms increasing 'til the point of bruising as Ryan was quickly losing himself to whatever sensation he, alone, was feeling.  
"Ryan, I'm serious. Get off me." She was struggling harder now, feeling the horrible panic surface as he brought a knee in between her legs and started kissing the side of her neck, oblivious to his girlfriend's distress.  
"Come on, Kay. You know you want it."

Her heart literally stopped.  
Not again. She couldn't go through this again.

With one final push she managed to put enough space between the two of them, and within a split second Ryan felt a fist connect with his face. Hard.  
He took a step back, touching the side of his face. Shocked.  
Kaylin was staring at him with wide eyes, the tears silently running down her face as she tried to keep the horrible memories from appearing in her mind.  
"Ms Davis!" The school-nurse, mrs Mitsogiannis, called from the door to her office. "I don't know what you thought about this school but we do not condone violent behavior." The round woman lectured as she hurried through the corridor towards the couple, distraught over the situation.  
Kaylin felt the tears in her eyes dry as she heard the woman speaking the words she had heard so many times over the last year. Always the same thing. No one ever wanting to know the reason for her fighting, always so quick to blame her that she never got the chance to explain.  
"This could get you expelled, ms Davis!" Mrs Mitsogiannis continued lecturing but Kaylin just looked at her with emotionless eyes, her voice equally cold as she spoke.  
"Then expel me, it's not like I actually care anymore." She turned around and simply walked away.  
All she knew was she was going home, she didn't know how to get there and she didn't know how to explain to her mom she had fought again but she didn't care. She was going home, then she was going to take responsibility for whatever came after that.

"Davis?" Max Cooperman rode up next to her and even though Kaylin had wanted nothing more than to just ignore him and keep walking, she stopped.  
"Cooperman."  
"What are you doing here? You still have classes, right?" He had stopped the car and was now leaning out of the window as he spoke.  
"Maybe I do." She simply said, she wasn't really in the mood for a skipping-lecture, much less a meaningless conversation but thankfully for her that hadn't been his plan.  
"You going home?" He asked, one eyebrow raised and Kaylin nodded.  
"What are you gonna do about it, Cooperman? Turn me in?" She challenged him but he just chuckled.  
"Get in."  
She stood still for a second or two, not sure she really should but when she saw Ryan running out of the school, scanning the parkinglot for her she quickly got in the car.  
"I think he's looking for you." Max said making Kaylin glance at the blonde making his way to the car.  
"Just go."  
"Kaylin!" She heard Ryan yell at her and she felt a tear drop from her eyes again as she fixed them on her shaking hands on her lap.  
"Please."  
Max started up the car without an other word and they rode out of the parkinglot before Ryan could even think to scream her name again.****

Later that night

"What do you mean you messed up?" Arielle looked at her daughter with reproachful eyes.  
Kaylin felt herself nearing tears but she sucked them up, knowing that she was the one at fault and if anyone had the right to cry it was her mother for having to go through this shit again.  
"I wanted you to hear this from me, mom." She took a deep breath but Arielle stopped her before she could even continue.  
"You fought again didn't you?" Her voice was cold but Kaylin knew that she was beyond angry.  
"Listen, mom. I'm sorry..."  
"No, Kaylin. You listen to me!" Arielle stood up and started pacing the kitchen-floor. "I'm sick and tired of having to move all the time because you can't keep your fists in control! We have been here less than a month and you're already in trouble?" She was almost screaming now and Kaylin had to fight the tears that were threatening to spill over at any second.  
"Why is it that you can't just be like your sister? No matter where we've lived she's managed to make friends, she easily fits in and best of all she doesn't cause trouble for her family!"  
"I'm not Millie! I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment to you but there are reasons for why I'm like this!"  
"Then let's hear it! Please, Kaylin, do tell me why you can't seem to keep yourself out of trouble!"

They were both standing up now, yelling at each other with all they had. Both of them completely worn out mentally by the things that had been going on for the past year.  
_"Come on, Kay! This is your chance to tell her what that bastard did to you!" _The voice in her head was screaming at her and Kaylin had to swallow a few times before she could think of speaking again._  
_  
"The reason me not fitting in anywhere we go... The reason I'm no good at making friends...For getting into fights... I'm hurting from something and I..."  
"You think you're the only one hurting, Kaylin?" Arielle interrupted, too upset to continue listening to her oldest daughter pitying herself. "You think my life has been easy since your father died? I have been going to bed every night for the past four years hoping to wake up the next morning and all this shit was just a nightmare. And guess what, every morning I wake up to that same nightmare." Arielle's tears started falling down her face and she sat down at the table, hiding her face in her hands. "And I can't do it anymore, Kaylin. I can't live with this." She sighed and Kaylin felt a single tear fall at her mother's words.

"So you want me to leave?" She looked at her mother's back. A back she had been following since she was born, a back that had always been so straight and proud. A back that now looked weak and slouching.  
"I think that would be for the best."  
Arielle didn't turn around but Kaylin still heard her loud and clear. She looked at her mother for a second before silently walking to her room, packing the things she might need: clothes, cellphone, the money she had been saving up to buy that Tiffany necklace she had been wanting for two years and, of course, her fighting-gear.  
She had no idea for how long she was going to be away from home and if the money would be enough but if it wasn't she could always earn her money fighting.  
She wiped away the tears that had fallen and took a deep breath after which she walked out of her room, kissing Riley on the head before walking past her mom in the kitchen and out the door.

Kaylin was walking down the street when a white Hummer pulled up beside her, the person on the passenger-side rolling down the window.  
"You looking for some company, sweetheart?" A male voice asked, effectively bringing Kaylin to a stop.  
"Look, buddy. Unless you want trouble you leave now." She warned, not even seeing the blonde goddess smiling at her in the car.  
"Relax, Davis. It's just us." The blonde spoke and Kaylin turned to face her, surprised to see the school's most popular girl Baja Miller and her boyfriend Jake Tyler smiling beside her.  
"But seriously, what are you doing out here all alone?" Jake asked and leaned against his girlfriend to see the brunette a little better.  
"Just out for a midnight stroll. How about you two lovebirds?" Kaylin tried to smile but could tell from the looks on their faces she'd better not.  
"We just came from a party, I'm the designated driver." Jake said although the brunette in front of him realized his voice was not in a joking tone anymore.  
"Cool. See you around." Kaylin just wanted to keep walking, she had no idea where she was heading but she'd know when she got there.  
"Wait up." Baja said, making the brunette stop once again. "Where are you heading? I thought your house was in the opposite direction."  
"Yeah, well. 2 miles in the opposite direction but I just needed to get out of there for a while."  
She knew both Jake and Baja had noticed the rucksack hanging from her shoulder and with a quick look at each other they seemed to come to a silent understanding.  
"Jump in." Jake said, Baja getting out and opening the door for her. "You're coming home with Baja for the night."  
Something in his voice didn't really make it sound like a suggestion and with a small nod Kaylin silently slid into the backseat, feeling too tired to argue with anyone else for the day. 

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**That was chapter 7! Sorry for not updating for a while now, won't make excuses cause I'm pretty sure you're not interested in hearing them ;)**  
**Thanks to all you wonderful people who have read, reviewed and in any other way showed your appreciation for this story!**

**If you liked it, make sure to let me know ;) Makes writing all the more fun!**


	8. Long story, long night

**The difference between us – Chapter 8 – Long story, long night**

**Author's note: First of all I apologize for this story taking so long, have no real excuses and even if I had I'm pretty sure you wouldn't wanna hear it ;)**  
**Secondly I want to thank all you wonderful people who have ever reviewed this story! Thank you for making me know that you're still out there and waiting for a new chapter, for letting me know you haven't given up on me or this story yet!**  
**So the biggest of hugs and dozen of roses (whatever color you prefer) to:**

**pnkprincess01**

**ThatKidJessica**

**Emzy2k11**

**HermioneandMarcus**

**MidnightMinuet**

**tasha595**

**DimFish**

**coolcookie**

**Enjoy the chapter, short but it's a chapter nonetheless ;)**

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Kaylin sat down on Baja's bed with a small sigh. The ride to her house had been a fairly quiet one although both Jake and the girl had tried to start a conversation with her, having no luck whatsoever.

"So." Baja sat down next to her while pulling her wavy blonde hair into a ponytail. "Will you tell me what's going on or should I just guess?"

"It's not that big of a deal. Just had a little fight with my mom, it's nothing to worry about. I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow." Kaylin said, looking around the big room, trying desperately to keep her mind of everything going on in her twisted head at the moment.

"You think I'm worried about getting you out of here? Kaylin, you can stay for as long as you'd like. But if I'm going to be able to help you I need to know what happened to you."

Kaylin looked at her for a few seconds before running a hand tiredly through her hair, sighing as she did.

"I take it you heard about what happened at school today?" A hint of amusement showed in the blonde's eyes as she laughed.  
"About you kicking Ryan McCarthy's ass? Yep, the whole school knows by now. It took a lot of guts to do that, you know." Baja complimented her but Kaylin just felt an ominous cold spread through her body.  
"It wasn't out of guts that I hit him... I was scared of him, Baja." The brunette felt the tears stinging behind her eyelids as she looked at the blonde who looked confused.  
"What? Why would you be scared of Ryan?... Did he hurt you?"

Kaylin knew that Baja had dated Ryan a while back and so she felt a little stupid for telling her all of this but she needed to get this all out, no matter the cost.

"Not really, I... It's not him directly that I'm afraid of." She knew she was speaking in riddles but she didn't know where to start.  
"I'm sorry, Kaylin, but I'm afraid I'm not quite following you." Baja shot her an apologetic smile and Kaylin leaned back on the bed not wanting to look her in the eyes anymore.

"Back in Tacoma I had this boyfriend. He was absolutely gorgeous and rich too, brought me all kinds of gifts..." Kaylin took a deep shaky breath before continuing. "But he was really jealous and possessive too, more than what's normal."  
She knew that Baja pretty much had the story figured out already but Kaylin didn't want any misunderstandings so she went on.

"One day I had gone to the movies with a few of my guy friends from school and he'd somehow found out. He came to our house that night and the way he was acting really scared me, you know? He wasn't screaming like he usually did when he was pissed, he was dead-calm. Even when he pushed up on me he was calm..." Kaylin knew her voice had started trembling by now and she felt Baja place a supporting hand on her shoulder for support.

"He... He raped me that night." The tears were starting to fall and soon enough she was sitting up with the blonde's arms wrapped around her.

"I tried telling my my mom but she was so destroyed after my dad died that I couldn't bare to put that weight on her as well. The only other person who knows is my sister and now you." She wiped the tears away, straightening her back as she did. She couldn't fall apart now. Not here.  
"So you never told anyone? You didn't report him?" Baja asked in a soft voice, careful not to sound too pushy.

"I was so afraid of him. A few days after I told Millie she ended up in the hospital, she'd been beaten up so badly she was hardly recognizable. She never told me who did it but I knew. He made an example out of her, to show me what happens to my family if I told anyone."  
She shuddered at the memory of her baby sister in that hospital-bed.

"So I started fighting out my frustrations. It went so far I even fought in school, effectively getting myself expelled and my mom was forced to find a new job and a new place to live. I've been running from this for so long and when Ryan pushed up on me today, I just... All I saw was Logan and... I freaked."

Kaylin's phone rang, effectively bringing her out of her storytelling. She made sure to check the caller ID before she answered it and was relieved to see her sister's name staring back at her on the display.  
"Hey Mills." She greeted, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Where are you?" The younger sister asked in a worried voice. "I came home and found mom drunk and passed out on her bed with you nowhere to be found. So I called Eric and asked him if he knew if Ryan knew where you were but he just said that he hadn't seen you since you hit him this morning! What the hell is going on, Kay?"  
Wow, all those words in one breath and she hadn't fainted already? Millie sure had good lungs!

"Slow down, Melaina. I'm at a friend's house, think I'll be staying the night." Kaylin rubbed her temple with a tired frown. How the hell should she explain this to Mills?  
"What do you mean 'I'll be staying the night'? I need your help with mom, I can't take care of her all on my own!" The younger of the two sisters sounded so distraught Kaylin started getting worried about her heart.  
"Okay, Millie. Listen to me, breath. I don't want your heart to collapse again." She heard Millie take a few calm breaths before continuing. "I'll explain what's going on, but not over the phone okay?"

Kaylin sent a look to Baja asking if she could catch a ride back to her own house and when the blonde nodded with a smile, Kay went back to her conversation.  
"Look, I'll be home in 20 minutes. Think you'll be okay until then?"  
"What the hell is going on, Kay?"  
Kaylin sighed and ran a tired hand over her face. This was going to be a really long night.  
"I'll be there soon, okay." She hung up, knowing that Millie would be fuming at home but she didn't have the energy to go through the day's events over the phone, especially with a little sister who was born with a congenital heart defect.

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**You like? Then let me know ;) Reviews and constructive criticism makes me write faster and better!**


	9. It's all for the best

**Chapter 9 - It's all for the best**

**A/N: Hi people! Wow, I'll bet you thought I'd forgotten about this little fic, but I haven't! :D I recently moved and got into university and since then my creative-streak has just run dry... But now I'm back and feeling hyper by writing and if you don't mind me saying so I feel like I did a good job with this chapter. But don't take my word for it, read it yourself and find out ;)**

**I really missed writing and I hope, hope, hope that I can keep it up!**

**So for all of you who waited, it wasn't in vain. Here it is!**

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**Chapter 9**

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Baja asked as they pulled up to the Davis-residence. Kaylin could see Millie pacing inside and sighed as she grabbed a hold of her bag in the backseat.  
"I'm sure. Mom's not the nicest person when she's drunk and dealing with Millie is gonna be ten times worse. It's not something you wanna see, trust me." She opened the door and jumped out of the car.  
"Thanks for everything though, I really appreciate it."  
"No problem, but call Ryan. Tell him what you told me and he'll help you. I promise." The blonde said, a gentle smile firmly in place on her lips.  
"Bye." Kaylin waved the girl off before walking up to the house. Not bothering ringing the doorbell she stepped right in, only to be jumped by an angry Millie.

"Where the hell have you been? How could you just leave me with mom when she's drunk? How could you hit Ryan? Kaylin?"  
Kaylin didn't answer her little sister, she was far too tired to do so. She just walked straight passed her and into her mother's bedroom only to find the woman laying on the floor, an empty bottle of wine next to her, drunk off her ass and conveniently enough passed out.

It took Kaylin most of the strength she possessed to get her mother into bed while the woman mumbled something about ungrateful children and the girl's heart hurt when she realized that her mother was talking about her. She tucked her in and kissed her gently on the forehead before fetching a bucket to place next to the bed and a big glass of water for the woman that she placed on the nightstand.  
It hurt to see her mother like that. To see what Kaylin had reduced her to, all the pain and anguish she had caused her.

Turning off the lights and closing the door the teenager went to deal with the nearly hysterical Millie who's behavior had caused Riley to sneak off to his bed to hide.  
"Have you eaten anything?" Kay asked her sister first and foremost, knowing that food usually calmed the younger one down.  
"I ate at Eric's." Millie sighed and ran her hands through her hair, the air pretty much leaving her the moment she sat down on the couch. "What the hell's going on, Kay?"

And so Kaylin told Millie what had happened that day.  
About how she had gotten into it with Ryan and how the school nurse had shown up, shouting about how she could be expelled for hitting him. About how their mother had kicked her out of the house when she'd told her.  
About how Jake and Baja had found her and brought her back to Baja's house only to spill the whole story about Logan to her.

When she was done with the telling Millie seemed to have gotten all of her emotions back because she'd jumped up and started pacing again.  
"This is just fucked up, Kay." She mumbled, trying to keep herself together while her sister rested her head against the couch for a moment, feeling just how tired she really was. "Where the hell had she expected you to go?"  
"I don't know." Kaylin replied. "But I think it might be for the best. This way I'm not screwing anything up for you again." She chuckled tiredly but Millie could see nothing worth laughing about.  
"Don't you dare say this is the best thing for either of us." She snapped, tears in her eyes. "You're my sister, Kay, I need you here with me. Screw mom, I want you here... Please don't leave."

Kaylin felt her heart tighten as the tears fell down her sister's face but she knew what she had to do. She wasn't going to mess with their lives anymore. It was what needed to be done.  
"I have to, Mills." She pulled her sister close, stroking her hair as the girl wept. "This isn't the place for me anymore."  
A long silence filled the room, neither of them truly knowing what to say but both of them knowing that there was no stopping Kaylin. Once she had her mind set on something, there was never anything stopping her...

"I don't want you to leave yet." Millie whispered into her neck. "I don't want to be alone."  
"Tell you what, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. Just like when we were kids."

Despite the fact that she knew she would be gone before morning Millie nodded to the proposal. It pained her but at least she got to sleep next to her one last time, she thought as they split up, Millie getting ready for bed and Kaylin getting ready to leave her family.

Kay packed some more of her stuff, warm clothes and a blanket seeing as she might have to spend the night outside and a few pictures of her family. Everything else was just material but she didn't want to lose the memories.

Soon enough Millie was ready and laying down on the bed next to her sister, Kaylin for a second regretted her decision to follow her mother's wishes but sucked it up.  
She didn't want to leave, but she had to. If not for her sake then for her mother's. She didn't deserve the pain Kay kept bringing her way.  
The girls talked for a while, Millie clinging to Kaylin like a child but it didn't take long for the younger's grip to loosen and the sobs to lessen.  
"Kay..." Millie mumbled, moments away from sleep. "I love you."

Kaylin looked down at the sleeping girl next to her and kissed her forehead, like she had done their mother's, before silently slipping out of the bed and moving towards the door.  
"I love you too, Melaina." She whispered and wiped away the tear that had escaped the corner of her eye.

'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~''~'~'~'~'''''~'~'~'~''~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'

She had hardly stepped out of the house and locked the door behind her before she knew that someone was watching her. Her guard completely up again she turned to the darkness and squinted to see who was out there in the shadows and it didn't take long for her to notice him leaning against the Escalade with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What are you doing here, Ryan?" Kaylin asked, relaxing slightly as she walked up to him.  
"Got a call from Baja." He explained, pushing himself off the car. "Said she had a feeling you'd be running away from home." He glanced down at the duffelbag in her hand. "I see she was right."  
His blue eyes found their way up to her green ones again and Kaylin felt herself warm up slightly at the look of them.  
"I can't stay here, Ryan. It's just not right, to anyone." She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she tried to shake off how tired she was.

"Look, I don't know what happened. But I'm not letting you leave, not without an explanation." He took a step towards her and she instantly felt trapped. She looked around her, wondering just how far she'd make it before he'd catch up to her.  
"So you're gonna kidnap me, is that what you're saying?" She knew he saw just how much she wanted to run away from him, from everything, but she also knew that there was no way she could stop him if he tried anything.  
"If I have to, yes." He replied, his whole being shone with calm and seriousness, something that both scared and relaxed Kaylin. "But I would prefer not having to."

Kaylin looked into his eyes, her mind going a thousand miles an hour to try and figure out what to do. She had to leave her family, that she knew, but she couldn't leave him. She just couldn't...  
"Fine." She reached her bag to him, a look of defeat on her face as Ryan took it and opened the car door for her.

The ride to the McCarthy-residence was a fairly quiet one, Ryan only opening his mouth once to ask her if she minded turning on the radio, which she did before leaning back to stare out the window.

A remake of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise came on and the strings from the orchestra made the hair on Kaylin's arms stand up.

"_As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realize there's nothing left.  
Cause I've been blastin' and laughin so long that even my ma'ma thinks that my mind is gone..."_

The words couldn't have been more fitting for the occasion, Kaylin thought as the words flowed through the speakers. She caught Ryan looking at her out of the corner of his eyes but she didn't return the gaze as she kept staring out the window, watching how rain started falling outside.

'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~''~'~'~'~'''''~'~'~'~''~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'

"Are you hungry?" Ryan asked as he dropped the duffelbag on the floor in the big hallway, switching on the lights and started making his way to the kitchen without even looking at her.  
"I could eat." Kaylin said quietly, finding it a little hard to find her voice again after the long silence. Wiping her wet bangs out of her eyes she wondered what the hell she was doing at his house and if she should just leave but when Ryan's voice sounded from the kitchen she thought better of it.  
"You're not leaving until you've eaten and slept, so don't even bother looking at the door." His words were serious and she could hear him messing around in the kitchen so with a defeated sigh she left the hallway to join him.

"I hope lasagna is alright, it's the only thing I can cook after all." He said, still not looking at her as he was fully concentrated on what he was doing.  
"It's fine." She said, hoping up on the counter, watching him work. "I didn't think you'd remember how to make it." Kaylin continued, dangling her legs a little as she spoke, suddenly feeling awkward.  
"Of course I'd remember, it was you who taught me. How could I ever forget?" His voice was serious as he glanced up at the brunette and just that little look was enough to light a spark in the girl's chest.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, hanging her head slightly to hide the blush spreading over her cheeks. "About today, I shouldn't have hit you."  
Ryan turned his head to look up at her, his blue eyes boring into her very soul.  
"Today was my fault, I pushed it too far and didn't even consider the fact that it might freak you out. So I'm the one who should say 'I'm sorry'." He went back to the lasagna, putting the finishing touches on it before popping it in the oven, setting the timer and leaning back against the counter across from Kaylin, his eyes finding hers and for a long time the two of them stayed that way.

Both of them looking, neither of them moving out of fear of crossing an invisible line that no one knew what it was for.

The sound of the timer going off made them both jerk and with a lopsided smile Ryan moved to get the food. Once their plates were full and they each had a soda in hand they moved into the huge livingroom, placing themselves on the couch in front of the tv while Ryan started up a movie.

Smiling to herself Kaylin saw how the Disney-logo came in view and actually chuckled as the Aristocats-movie started playing and glanced over at Ryan who was humming along with the catchy tune.  
"So not only have you taken a liking to cooking, you've become a Disney-nerd as well?" Kay giggled seeing as he was now singing along loudly with the Frenchman, knowing every single word of the lyrics mind you.  
"You could say that." Ryan laughed, pleased that his singing, or whatever it could be called, seemed to have blown away the awkward air around them. "I now own every movie that Disney has ever made." He declared proudly and Kaylin almost doubled over in laughter. Ryan 'The Terror' McCarthy a Disney-nerd? Now that was a sight!

For the next hour they sat curled up together on the couch, Kaylin with her back against Ryan's chest, his arms around her as her fingers drew random shapes on his forearm. They enjoyed the movie just as much as each others company and by the final song Kaylin had nearly fallen asleep with her face resting against the crook of his neck.  
"You want to go to bed?" He asked, smiling slightly at the way her breath on his skin made his heart do somersaults in his chest. She nodded tiredly but still didn't make an attempt to get out of his grasp.  
"You know, if we're going to get you into bed you might actually have to move." He chuckled but the girl just whimpered cutely and grabbed onto him tighter as he tried to get up.

"Suit yourself then." He said and feeling thankful that his father wasn't coming back until tomorrow morning Ryan turned off the television, managed to get off the couch and lifted the girl into his arms, her arms around his neck as he carried the now hysterically laughing Kaylin up the stairs.

Putting her down on the bed he watched her for a moment. She was still laughing hard, at what Ryan had no idea but that didn't change the fact that it made her look even more beautiful than usual. He saw how she managed to calm herself down and smiled a little as she stilled but got a little worried when her eyes shifted from joy to dead seriousness.  
"Kay, we don't have to sleep in the same bed if you don't want to..." He started but the girl turned her head towards him and shook it.  
"It's not that." She sat up, running a hand through her hair, something that she had done a lot that night. "I need to tell you something and you're not gonna like it."  
"Tell me what? Did something happen?" Ryan sat down on the bed next to her, his hand cupping her cheek, his eyes desperately searching for something that could be hurting her.

"Well... It happened a while back, last year when we were still living in Tacoma." Kaylin took a deep breath and grabbed a soft hold of his hand, gathering her strength as she wondered how to best do this.  
"Just please promise you won't be angry with me, no matter what." Her voice held such desperation Ryan wasn't sure he wanted to hear what she had to say anymore but never the less nodded.  
"No matter what I won't be angry, I promise." His thumb brushed against her cheek and she continued.

"When I was 16 I met a guy named Logan Anderson, he was really sweet and I found myself falling for him."  
Ryan felt his heart ache with jealousy, she was his and no one else's!  
"He was a great guy, you know, kinda jealous but that's the price you have to pay, right?" She almost mumbled but loud enough for Ryan to hear her.

"Anyway, we were together for nearly a year but about 5 months in he started getting really possessive of me. Wouldn't let me go to school on my own, always insisted on giving me a ride, always picking me up from school. He got me to skip school for him, saying that he didn't want anyone else to look at me. That sorta thing."

She cleared her throat from the lump that was beginning to form and Ryan felt a tug at his chest, this guy was just like he had acted towards Baja when they were together, and now he just felt like a complete douche bag.

"He had quite the temper too and ever so often we'd get into these loud arguments about little things like me hanging out with guys from school. I never would have said anything back then but I was so scared of him when he got that loud, yelling at me, waving his arms around like he was about to hit me... It was just downright terrifying, getting into a fight with him."  
Ryan felt himself shrink for every word the girl spoke. She was describing him, well, the him before Jake Tyler came along and put him in his place.

"Then one night me and my girlfriends had gotten a little to drink and they thought it would be fun to drag me to the movies with their boyfriends..." Kaylin took a deep breath, steadying her thumping heart. "Logan somehow found out and came to my house that night and although he didn't yell at me or got himself worked up he still scared me, more than ever before..."

She stopped, fear tugging at her heart for what she was about to say but a light squeeze on her hand and a gentle smile from Ryan made her say it.  
"He raped me, Ryan."

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**'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~''~'~'~'~'''''~'~'~'~''~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'**

**A/N: YAY! I'M BACK! Ahh, you have no idea how good it feels to be back here! I can only say that I hope you liked it and feel free to drop me a message if you did, I'll always love the feedback ;)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Would you teach me if I ask

**Chapter 10 – Would you teach me if I asked?**

The silence that followed was deafening. A tear slipped down her face as the girl waited for something, anything, to happen. No matter how long time had passed since that night she still felt dirty every time she talked about it.

She dared herself to look up at Ryan's face and flinched at what she saw. His vibrant blue eyes were dark and dangerous, his jaw was set and Kaylin could almost see how furiously his heart was pumping through the veins on his neck.

Kaylin gently placed a hand on his shoulder and felt another tear fall from her eyes when she realized that he was shaking. She was doing it again, hurting the people she cared about and she hated it!

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I just... I didn't know what to say." Kaylin's weak voice broke the silence and Ryan had to stop himself from shouting at her.

"Don't say you're sorry, Kay." Even his voice was shaking and it took everything she had in her not to be drawn into those furious eyes. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about."

The silence settled between them again, this time the girl felt safe enough to grab a soft hold of his still shaking hand.

"Are you angry?" She asked, her voice giving away just how small she felt.

"Yes, but not at you." He breathed slowly, trying to get the fury out of his system. He caught her looking at him uncertainly and squeezed her hand a little. "I'm angry at myself."

The uncertainty didn't leave her eyes.

"Kaylin." He turned to her, his free hand cupping her cheek gently to make her look into his eyes. "If I had known I never would have..." Tears formed in his eyes, fully realizing just what he had done. "I never wanted to hurt you, you have to believe me, Kay." He was nearly begging now, a lonely tear escaping down his face as he desperately looked into her eyes, searching for a sign that she didn't hate him.

"Ryan..." Kaylin was at a loss for words, she knew he hadn't had any intention of hurting her. "I know you didn't mean to and I do believe you. Why else would I have agreed to come here tonight?" She pulled him into a hug, letting a closeness that so many times had scared her, soothe her.

"I scared you though, didn't I?" He said, his hand resting in her hair.

"Yeah..." She nodded a little. "But I know you. You would never intentionally scare me, it was an accident. It happens." She shrugged a little, thinking back on the reason for her fighting.

Ryan pulled back from her and looking into her calm green eyes he felt amazement wash over him as he realized that she meant every word she'd said.

"You still wanna go to bed?" She asked when the silence settled again, feeling that he might need to get rid of his obvious frustration over what she'd just told him.

He looked at her for a few seconds before his eyes wandered to the bed and then back to her.

"Yeah, sure. Just gotta get ready." He said, kissing her temple gently and entering the bathroom out in the hallway. 

Somewhat dazed about what had just happened Kaylin got off the bed, ridding herself of everything but her underwear before moving under the covers, waiting for Ryan to come back.

They had been together for little over a month but still she had never actually spent the night before, especially not in Ryan's bed.

Her mother preferred her spending the night at home and although she hadn't asked Ryan about it it would appear that his father preferred it that way as well.

Laying there, smiling a little to herself at how this crazy day had worked out, she could hear Ryan coming into the room again, closing the door before walking up to the bed. 

He looked down at her for a moment, thinking that she was asleep, wondering just how he was going to play this. Sighing to himself he walked away from the bed but before he even made it halfway out of the room Kaylin's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"You don't have to leave."

Ryan looked up at her, searching for an uncertainty he wouldn't find.

"I thought I'd give you a little space..." He said, looking a little uncomfortable where he stood in the middle of the room.

"I don't want space." Kaylin spoke in a determined voice. "I want you next to me, it makes me feel safe."

Without a word Ryan walked back to her before joining her in the big bed. He was a little unsure just how far he could go, should he just lay there? Should he pull her close? He really had no clue what would be okay considering their situation so Kaylin saw it fitting to make the decision for him.

She moved slightly so that she was facing him, taking his hand and guiding it to her waist before moving closer, close enough for their breaths to mingle together as they looked into each others eyes.

"It's not you I'm afraid of." Kaylin whispered, her body slowly melting away at their proximity. "It's doing something against my will again, and for a moment today I forgot about you and just saw him." She felt a sudden urge to touch his hair and smiling softly she brought her hand up to run it through that shaggy blondness.

"I know that you would never hurt me, Ryan. I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone before, and that's saying something." Ryan chuckled a little, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms with her fingers running through his hair.

"I have a suggestion." He mumbled, a shiver going through his body as she tugged loosely at his hair and looked at him with those eyes. "How about a safeword? You know like... 'popcorn' or something like that to let the other know to stop."

Kaylin raised her eyebrows and chuckled.

"How about 'no'?"

Ryan looked stunned for a moment before laughing softly, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, that could work too. Didn't think about that."

"But it's not a bad idea." Kaylin continued, putting him at ease. "But it would have to mean that no matter what whatever is happening is serious and we need to stop, no exceptions." She explained and Ryan nodded in agreement.

"It's like a tap out, you feel and it you stop. Simple and like you said, no exceptions."

"Agreed." Kaylin yawned, suddenly feeling the sleepiness coming back to her.

"Hey." Ryan whispered into her hair, wondering if she had fallen asleep on him. "We never agreed on the actual word though."

"Popcorn." She mumbled sleepily and Ryan chuckled as he pulled the covers closer around them.

"_'Popcorn' it is then." _He thought before he too fell asleep, his arms secured around his girlfriend's waist and her head on his chest, feeling truly safe for the first time in a long time. 

_*******They're our objects of affection that can mesmerize the soul. There is always one addiction that just can not be controlled *******_

"Ryan, get up! We have a lot of work to..." That Saturday morning Robert McCarthy walked straight into his son's bedroom without knocking as he usually did when he was stressed, clearly not expecting the view that greeted him as he stepped through the door.

Ryan was half-laying in bed, squinting against the bright light as a mop of brown hair moved next to him, mumbling something incoherent.

"Um, you mind giving us a moment, dad?" Ryan said, sleep lacing his voice as he sat up completely.

"Who is that?" The older McCarthy asked gruffly, getting straight to the point. He actually liked Kaylin Davis so he'd be damned if his blockhead of a son screwed someone behind her back.

"Good morning, mr. McCarthy." Said girlfriend sat up, stretching tiredly but making sure to cover herself up, not wanting to give off a worse impression than she'd already had this morning.

"Well, good morning, Kaylin. I wasn't expecting to see you here this early." Robert said, his voice a lot less gruff this time.

"Well, it was sort of a, eh... long night so I ended up staying the night. I hope you don't mind terribly." Robert smiled at how formal she sounded, she was really worried about what he thought of her.

"Oh no, not at all. You know you're always welcome in my home, Kaylin. But Ryan, you've got a training-session in half an hour, so you better get ready." Robert said before leaving the room, and a flabbergasted Ryan, behind. 

He had no idea how but this girl seemed to make decent people out of anyone who laid eyes on her. His dad was being nice to him, that might just have been a first.

"Do you wanna stay in bed?" He asked as he was getting ready to leave the warmth of the bed. "I can bring you some breakfast if you want."

Kaylin just smiled at him, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Can I watch you train?" She asked, feeling bubbly inside as Ryan looked at her incredulously,

"You wanna watch me getting my ass kicked?" He wondered as he changed into his training gear.

"Oh, come on, Ryan! I promise I won't be a distraction." 

He walked up to the bed again and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Kaylin, you're the very embodiment of a distraction." He smirked but his answer just left the girl with a cute pout on her lips.

"I'll be quiet as a mouse and I won't make a move, so please? Pretty please?" She left her spot under the covers and moved closer on her knees, not paying much attention to the fact that she was only wearing a bra and a pair of boyshorts.

But Ryan sure did and he had to force himself not to look anywhere but in her eyes, although he was dying to.

"Alright, but first go put some clothes on and eat something. Then you can join me in the gym."

Shocked Kaylin looked down and it seemed to dawn on her just how little clothing she was wearing because her face went beet-red.

"Meet you downstairs." He kissed her on the lips, feeling her smile before he pulled back and went downstairs to start warming up, leaving behind a somewhat grinning and flushing Kaylin.

She didn't care what had happened between  
them, last night had told her what she needed to know. That he would never hurt her like Logan did. That he was serious about her, serious enough to bring up the concept of a safeword.

Kaylin wasn't born yesterday. She knew what safewords were commonly used for and although the suggestion showed that Ryan was no stranger to that world she felt safe knowing that he would do anything for her not to feel uncomfortable.

She laid down on her back on the big bed and stretched out, enjoying the feeling of having woken up next to him. The bed smelled like him, not one particular smell that she could name but simply that of Ryan.

She rolled out of bed and went up to her bag on the floor, picking out a pair of long jeans shorts, her beloved Washington Wizards T-shirt and gray hoodie before getting dressed and pulling her hair into a ponytail before walking downstairs and into the kitchen.

While Kaylin poured herself a bowl of Cheerios Robert walked into the kitchen, talking sternly to someone on the phone. He sent her an apologetic smile and she smiled back, knowing fully well that being the manager of such a big company couldn't always be easy.

"Well, deal with it, Harry. That's what I'm paying you for." Robert ended the call and took a deep breath before turning back to Kaylin who was now sitting on the counter, eating her breakfast.

"I'm sorry about that." The older man said, pouring himself a cup of coffee and offering it to the girl who politely shook her head before putting it down again. "It's way to early in the morning for this really." He took a sip and felt his mood lift slightly.

"It's alright, I'm used to my mom running back and forth in the mornings, fussing and forgetting everything she's supposed to have with her. Compared to her you're a breath of fresh air, Mr. McCarthy." Kaylin laughed, trying not to spill her breakfast.

"Really? Because she seems like such a put together person. And call me Robert, mr McCarthy just sounds so... yuck." He moved slightly, as if to shake off the feeling it was giving him.

"Alright, Robert." She laughed. "Well, my mom's been through a tough time since my dad died. She tries her best to keep everything together but it's taken a toll on her. And lord knows my problems in school haven't helped."

"Sounds like you haven't had it so easy either, losing your dad set something off in you?" Robert said and the laughter Kaylin had in her faltered a little.

"That and everything else around me at the time." She smiled a sad smile. "I just didn't know what to do and caused a lot of trouble for my family."

"That's how you ended up here, in Orlando I mean?"

"Yeah, my mom got a job as your assistant and me and my sister got transferred. She told me though before we left Montana that this was the last time she would be moving because of me and she meant it."

"Why are you really here, Kaylin?" Robert asked, his voice fatherly comforting.

"My mom kicked me out. Told me that I should leave and I was about to. I'd made up my mind and everything, said goodbye to my sister... Then Ryan showed up and well, here I am." She shrugged a little, not sure how she expected the man to react to her story.

"And here you'll stay." Robert said a moment later, not even having to think the decision over. "As long as you'd like to that is." 

Kaylin looked up into his blue eyes, feeling herself tear up at his words.

"Really? You... You're not telling me to leave?"

"Of course not." Robert waved off the preposterous idea. "Listen, when Ryan's mother died he went out of control. Got cold, got into trouble, his grades slipping, lost respect for everything and everyone around him." He leaned back, taking a sip of his coffee. "But you've changed that about him. I don't know how but he's a different person when you're around. So if it's alright with you I'd like it if you chose to stick around."

Kaylin said nothing at this, just put her empty bowl down and jumped off the counter before walking up to the man, giving him a hug.

For a millisecond he stiffened as if he wasn't sure what to do but before he knew it his parental instincts kicked in and he hugged the girl back. He hadn't been a dad in so long, sure he was Ryan's father but they'd never really had a close relationship, and so it was quite nice to get to play that part for a while.

"Thank you, Robert. You don't know what those words mean to me."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. If you need anything we're here for you." 

_*******They're our objects of affection that can mesmerize the soul. There is always one addiction that just can not be controlled *******_

Watching her boyfriend train was getting to Kaylin. Seeing how his chiseled upper-body glistened with sweat throwing his trainer to the ground, fighting for dominance, Kaylin felt her heartbeat speed up. Seeing him in his right element was breathtaking, his concentration flawless and his eyes so determined she was surprised they hadn't set the other guy on fire.

Nearly two hours later the two of them were sitting by the pool, sharing Ryan's breakfast while cooling their feet in the cool water. Kaylin was resting her head against his shoulder and happily listening to him explain the basics of MMA to her while the sun shone down on them.

Kaylin had told him about the conversation with his dad and how he'd said that she was free to stay for as long as she wanted, which had not only made Ryan very happy but also very shocked. He had never expected his dad to accept the girl as fast as he did, he hadn't even warmed up to Baja this quick and she was a great girl.

"Ryan, can I ask you something?" Ryan opened his eyes and peered down at the girl at his side.

"Sure."

"Could you teach me to fight?" She asked, her eyes determined as she looked into his.

"Say what?" Ryan raised his eyebrows, surely he must have heard her wrong.

"I mean, I know the basics of standing my ground and all that." Kaylin explained, turning her head back towards the sun. "But if it comes down to it and I was to be alone with Logan I want to at least be able to give him a run for his money."

Two hands quickly came up to cup her face in a firm grip, forcing her to look into Ryan's eyes.

"You listen to me, 'cause I'll only say this once." He growled. "I will never let that asshole even so much as come near you ever again, do you hear me?"

Kaylin placed a gentle hand on his, inching her face from his grip.

"And I appreciate that. But despite what you may think I can't spend every single minute with you out of fear that he's gonna come after me if I'm left alone." She tried to reason. "I want my freedom, not to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life."

Ryan did see her point but just the mere thought of that jerkoff coming anywhere near her made his skin crawl and caused his vision to blur. 

He turned so that he sat behind her, bringing his arms around her trimmed waist and leaning his head on her shoulder.

"I just want you to be safe, Kaylin." He sighed, hugging her closer to him.

"I know, baby." She whispered and pressed a kiss into his hair, both of them staying like that in silence.

"You really want me to teach you how to fight?" Ryan asked after contemplating their situation in silence for a long time.

"Yes." Her answer was short but determined. She had made up her mind.

Ryan sighed and squeezed her tighter, knowing that he was so going to regret his decision.

"Then I'll make a deal with you." Kaylin's ears perked up but stayed still in his arms. "If you teach me how to cook I'll teach you how to fight."

With a squeal and a grin Kay turned around and threw her arms around his neck, feeling as happy as a small child on Christmas morning.

"You're really that happy about this?" Ryan laughed and Kaylin simply hugged him harder and nodded like a maniac.

"Of course I am!" She squealed, causing him to flinch a little at her loud voice.

"Well, I'm glad but if you squeal again I'll have to cool you down." He smirked but the girl just couldn't stop her squealing and before she knew it he'd picked her up and dropped her into the deep end of the pool.

Splashing and spitting she returned to the surface seconds later and it was with a glare she swum to the edge of the pool.

"Fine, I got your point." She spluttered as she looked up at his smirking face. "Care to help me up?" 

He laughed a whole-hearted laugh and reached down to grab her hand but noticed the evil twinkle in her eyes too late because he soon ended up next to her in the warm water.

"That should teach you not to mess with me, McCarthy." Kaylin laughed as she splashed water at him but instead of splashing back he swum up and caught her in his arms, treading water to keep their heads above the surface as Kaylin wrapped her legs around his waist.

"But I love messing with you, I have since the first day I met you." He smiled against her lips, enjoying the feeling of their bodies pressed so close together.

"Oh, I remember." She laughed as she ran her fingers through his hair, clinging onto him as he carried them up. "I thought you were a conceited asshole."

"I thought you were hot." He smirked as he swum them over to where his feet could actually touch the bottom.

"Turns out I was right." Kaylin countered, baiting him, pushing his buttons and when she felt him growl softly into her neck she smiled.

"You really shouldn't do that, Kay." He licked a path from her neck to her collarbone and Kaylin allowed him access, feeling her cheeks heat up as his fingers gently stroked their way down her back to cup her butt in order to press her even closer to him.

Their lips found each other again and Kaylin took this opportunity to run her own fingers over Ryan's abs, feeling them tighten at her touch.

"This is really nice, you know." Kaylin whispered once they pulled apart for air, resting their foreheads against each other, just relishing the closeness and the moment of peace.

"Yeah it is."

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**A/N: I'm back! I hope you enjoy this chapter ;)**


	11. Bury the Hatchet

**The difference between us - Chapter 11 – Bury the hatchet**

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry I've been absent for so long with this fic, I lost my muse for it for the longest and I've felt so bad about keeping you waiting! *Ducks behind a corner.**

**But I'm back, and I will try to finish this fic soon and I will try my best to update faster next time!**

**So enjoy this chapter, however short it is ^^**

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Sitting together at the pool both sweating profoundly from training, a couple of weeks later, neither Ryan nor Kaylin believed they'd ever felt this happy before.

.

Kaylin was still living with the McCarthy's, much to the joy of both Robert and Ryan, and although she missed her mom Kaylin had refused to go back home when Millie had begged her to.

She was as stubborn as her mother, maybe even worse, and until Arielle herself asked her she wouldn't set foot inside the house.

.

Of course she missed her sister as well but that problem had been solved by holding a weekly barbeque with their friends as well as the fact that Millie seemed to spend most of her waken time with either Eric or Kaylin and Ryan.

.

It was Saturday morning, the designated day for their BQ, and having finished their joined training the couple was enjoying their breakfast by the water.

"Ryan, I was thinking about something..." Kaylin drawled slightly as she dangled her bare, tanned legs in the water, ready to execute the plan she'd worked on for a couple of weeks now.

"Yeah, what's that?" Ryan answered, his attention slipping ever so slightly as he studied her shapely legs.

"What do you say about inviting Jake and Baja to the barbeque tonight?" She said, her voice casually soft. If she let on how much she wanted him to say yes he would probably say no just to mess with her.

"Do you really need to ask me that?" Ryan answered just as casually, his fingers now joining his eyes in caressing his girlfriend's leg.

"Hah! I never thought Ryan McCarthy would avoid the one person to kick his ass." Kaylin leaned her head back and laughed softly, her gentle voice contradicting her mocking words.

"I'm not avoiding anyone." Ryan said through gritted teeth although he wasn't really that upset by her words. He knew her by now after all. "I never was."

"_Liar."_ Kaylin thought quietly to herself as she turned her head to face him.

"Does that mean they can come?" She asked with a small smile, knowing she'd lured him into her trap.

Ryan's mouth fell open, if only a little bit. He couldn't say no now, he'd be contradicting himself and that was something he really hated when people did. He thought it showed their lack of argument-skills...

"Fine, invite them if you want." He surrendered, throwing an arm around his clever girlfriend's shoulder pulling her in for a sloppy kiss. "But don't blame me if things get awkward."

"Oh, they won't." Kaylin chuckled, kissing him back with a smile on her lips.

.

.

.

"Kaylin!" Kaylin grinned when she felt the weight of her little sister bring her down to the ground and she embraced the girl with a laugh.

"Millie! I've missed you too, kid."

"I'm not a kid." Millie pouted as she was pulled back up again by Eric.

"Of course you're not, sweetie." He assured before kissing the pout from her lips.

"Hi, Eric." Kaylin smiled as she got up and dusted off her light turquoise beach dress.

"Hi, Kay." Eric reached in for a hug before walking up to the house with his arm around his girlfriend.

"Hey, Kaylin!" The sound of Baja's voice made Kaylin turn around and was greeted by the sight of the blonde girl wearing a beautiful white shirt-dress with her boyfriend by her side.

"Baja, it's so good to see you!" Kaylin hugged her friend warmly, knowing that she must feel a little uncomfortable going to a barbeque that Ryan was hosting.

"Thank you for inviting us, it's really nice of you." Jake gave her a short hug in greeting before pulling back.

"No problem, it was actually Ryan's idea."

If only she'd had a camera right now, the couple's faces made Kaylin laugh aloud.

"I'm serious, he thought it was a good idea and I agreed."

"Are you really trying to tell us that all this was Ryan's idea?" Jake asked, an eyebrow quirked.

"Yes."

"What was Ryan's idea?" Ryan appeared beside his girlfriend, his hand instinctively placing itself at her waist.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kaylin beamed up at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Come on guys, everyone else is up at the house already." She said, happily pulling Ryan with her back to the house.

.

Although things started out somewhat tense the barbeque quickly got fun and soon enough they were all chatting, as if there had never been any tension between them to begin with.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Baja asked Kaylin once the meat was about ready to go on the grill.

"Well, if you wanna get the dishes, that's be great!" Kaylin smiled. "Do you know where to find them?"

"Yeah, I remember. Thanks!"

Kaylin watched the blonde go into the house and it was with a smile that she saw Ryan hesitate slightly before following her inside. Her plan was about to execute itself, now it was only up to fate if it would be a success or not.

.

"Hey." Ryan said as he watched his ex stand on her tip-toes to get the dishes from one of the cupboards.

"Hey." She replied looking over her shoulder, her blonde hair falling across her back as she did.

"How are you doing?" Ryan leaned against the kitchen counter, not really sure how to get this ball rolling.

"I'm good, I'm great... And you?" Baja could feel the tension getting to her, she was getting nervous.

"I'm good, I'm good... Listen, Baja..."

The girl turned fully to him now, giving him her undivided attention.

"I'm really sorry about how things went down between us last year... I've tried to come up with a reason for the way I treated you and the only thing that came at me was that I was an asshole. And that I'm very sorry."

Baja was quiet for a second, a little stunned by the unexpected apology.

"You know I'm with Jake, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you know I'm happy, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"And I'd like to think you're happy with Kaylin."  
"Very."

"So I'm happy and you're happy, what do you say we leave it at that and go back to being friends?"

Ryan looked at her, smiling at her words.

"So with this..." He reached out a hand. "We're back to friends, no grudges?"

Baja smiled as she grabbed his hand and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Friends. No grudges."

.

"So what do you think?" Jake asked, causing Kaylin to turn her head from the door the two blondes had walked through several minutes ago, to look at him. "Should we be worried?"

"Hm... I give it 10 minutes, then we go in. Pitchforks and torches raised." Kaylin said in a mock-serious voice as she waved her grillfork in his face, making Jake laugh at her antics.

"Roger that."

.

.

"That was really mature of you, Ryan."

Ryan stopped watching the door Baja had just exited through to turn to his father, who had silently entered the kitchen during the friendly exchange.

"Right..." Ryan sighed, about to walk out of the house as well when something stopped him. "I wanted to thank you by the way. For letting Kaylin stay here." He mumbled, not believing he was actually doing this.

"Of course, she's family." Robert said, thinking hard about how not to waste this opportunity. "And I've seen how she changes you. Your grades are better, you're not getting into as many fights as before. Hell, you're even speaking to me in a comfortable tone of voice. Ryan, even someone as old as me can see you love this girl and I'll do what I can to make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

Ryan was quiet for a few moments, looking like he was deep in thought and for a second Robert wondered if he'd screwed it all up but when his son looked at him with glossy eyes he felt his heart scream in relief.

"Do you think mom would have liked her?" Ryan asked, his voice thick with emotion.

"I think she would have loved her like her own daughter." Robert smiled at his son, so proud of how far the young man had come in such a short time.

.

To this Ryan said nothing, just nodded as he wiped away a stray tear before walking out of the house and up to his girlfriend to spin her around and kiss her passionately on the lips.

"What was that for?" Kaylin asked softly once she remembered how to breath properly again.

"I love you, Kay." Ryan mumbled as he embraced her, his arms making their way around her waist, his face buried in her soft hair, holding onto her like she was the key to his humanity.

"I love you too." Kaylin smiled widely as she hugged him and pressed a kiss against the side of his neck.


	12. You are Mine

**The difference between us - Chapter 12 – You are mine**

**A/N: Another chapter is officially up! I hope I don't disappoint anyone with it! Feel free to let me know what you thought! ^^**

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* * *

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"What the fuck do you mean 'Millie's not with you'?" Kaylin's voice was cold and even over the phone the sound made Eric's blood run cold.

"She's not." He gritted his teeth as he grasped the steering wheel tight enough for his knuckles to turn white. "I went to pick her up when she said and she wasn't there. Your mom hasn't seen her since this morning but she thought she was with you."

"Well, I haven't heard from her." Kaylin's voice went up a notch. "And you're sure she said to pick her up?"

"Yeah, I'm dead sure, Kay. She said 2 pm, I was there at 2 pm. And she wasn't there."

"Shit..." Kaylin cursed and rubbed her temple, trying to keep the panic at bay. "Look, Ryan and I will split up. You check our neighborhood for her, Ryan takes the school and I'll look around Ryan's house. She has to be somewhere, Millie wouldn't just disappear."

"Has she ever gone missing like this before?" Eric asked and Ryan sneaked a glance at his girlfriend, the look on her face was one of pure terror.

"When my ex-boyfriend took her to prove a point to me. He beat her up and sent her to the hospital in a coma." The girl shuddered at the memory and Ryan reached for her hand, running his thumb soothingly over the back of it.

"... So is it him?" Eric asked after a moment of silence, pissed off beyond belief.

"It's not impossible." Kaylin sighed. "But I don't see why he'd take her again, I mean wasn't once enough?"

.

.

"You're delusional if you think I'm gonna let you run around on your own with this lunatic on the loose." Ryan said once the call was ended.

"Ryan, we don't even know if Logan has anything to do with this. Besides, you taught me well, I can handle myself." She looked into his eyes, trying her best to reassure him to let her go look for her baby sister.

"I'm not gonna let him hurt you again, Kay. I don't care what you say, I'm coming with you."

"Ryan." She looked him dead in the eye, all signs of sweetness gone from her person. "We stand a better chance of finding Millie if we split up. I will gladly take a beating if it means keeping my sister safe, she comes first and I don't care what you have to say about that."

And with that she was gone, before Ryan could stop her. No one rarely could once the girl had decided on something.

.

.

"Kay, I found her." Eric's relieved voice sounded in her ear. "She's been crying but she says she's all right."

"That's great, Eric." Kaylin replied, her voice more guarded than he would have expected. "Just take her to your house and make sure she's safe, can you do that for me?"

"Um, yeah... Is everything okay, Kaylin?" Eric asked, a little concerned by the girl's reaction to her baby sister having been found safe and sound.

"Everything's fine." She sounded too calm. "Tell Millie I'll be there soon."

"Kay, are you sure..."

The girl hung up and looked at the man in front of her. He was taller than she remembered and his hair was shorter but he still had that same look in his eyes when he looked at her. That same god damn look that screamed at her that he owned her, that she was his property. That she was his.

"Why didn't you ask him for help? He seems like a nice enough guy."

"I don't need help, Logan. Not anymore." Kaylin glared at him, trying to keep her breathing and mind calm.

"So how did you know where to find me?" The boy asked, looking like he was playing the greatest game of all time.

"I remembered you loved the privacy of the beach, figured that even if you didn't had Millie with you I was sure to find your sorry ass here." Kaylin said, taking a step back from him as he took a step toward her.

"Really, Kaylin? Antagonizing me? Maybe you've lost a bit of your smarts what with all the moving." He smirked and took another step towards her, making her take one more away from him.

But she didn't look scared yet and it pissed him off.

He wanted to see her cry again, see her trying to crawl away from him in fear.

"I'm not antagonizing you, Logan. I'm simply telling you the truth." She stopped and stared him down as he moved closer and closer.

"Oh!" Logan grinned as he noticed how she didn't move away from him anymore. "You done running? About ready to give up, are you?" He took a step closer and as if lightning had struck her she let her fist fly.

She hit him squarely in the jaw and landed a knee to the gut before quickly backing away, keeping her space from him once again.

Just like Ryan had taught her.

.

"Really, Kay? You're seriously gonna do this? You think beating me up is going to keep me away from you?" Logan swung at her.

"No, but it might make me feel better." Kaylin ducked and managed to kick him hard in the leg, making him double over in the sand from the pain.

"Come on, get up!" She snapped at him but didn't make a move towards him.

.

"_Don't loose your composure, even if he's down."_ Ryan's words echoed through her head. _"If you lower your guard and he catches you by surprise, you're done for. If you must you kick him when he's down, but by no means do you stay within his reach for any longer than a few seconds."_

"_Why not?" She asked, walking up to where he laid on the mat, seemingly beaten. With the speed of a trained fighter Ryan instantly grabbed a hold of her calf and pulled her to the mat, quickly getting on top of her._

"_Because if he gets you to the ground the power is his." He shifted his weight so that the entire weight of his body rested on hers, pressing the air out of her lungs. "He could choke the life out of you and you wouldn't be able to do shit about it." Seeing how things clicked in her mind he easily got off of her and pulled her back up._

"_Don't give him any freebies, you got me?"_

"_I got you." She smiled and leaned in to kiss him, making him smile._

"_And if you do that to him, I will kill you myself."_

_._

_._

"Okay, okay. You win, Kaylin." Logan chuckled from where he still laid in the sand. "I guess I underestimated you."

Grabbing a fist full of sand he flung it in her direction but was shocked to see that she wasn't there anymore and no sooner had he realized that than he felt a boot connect with his stomach only to draw back and kick him again.

"Did. You. Really. Think. I. Was. Gonna. Fall. For. That, You. Asshole?" Kaylin punctuated every word with a kick, pouring all of her anger and fear into it.

Taking a big risk she walked around him to grab a fistful of his hair, pulling his bleeding face up to face hers.

"From now on, you stay the hell away from me, my family and my friends or I swear to God I will kill you."

She released the hold on his hair and kicked him across the face, effectively knocking him out.

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Feeling the emptiness sneak up on her she sunk down in the sand a couple feet away from his unconscious body.

Steadying her fingers as she picked her cellphone out of her pocket she took a deep breath as she dialed 911.

She managed to explain what had happened to the operator who assured her that the cops were on their way and to stay put until they got there.

Hanging up the phone Kaylin felt the silence deafen her. She could feel her composure slipping and taking big panicking breaths she finally let the tears drop.

She was all but wailing when the cops showed up but when the female police officer wrapped her in a warm blanket Kaylin felt like she might just be safe.

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About an hour later Arielle rushed into the police station, not having bothered to drive according to the speed limits on her way from work.

When she had gotten a call from a female officer about her daughter being at the station and that she needed her mother to come down Arielle didn't know what it was about but for the police to have to call her, at work, her daughter had to have done something pretty bad.

When she walked through the doors the first thing she saw was Kaylin sitting on Ryan's lap, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes puffy and her head resting against her boyfriend's as she cried in silence.

The second thing she saw was Millie, standing only a few feet away from them, wrapped in Eric's arms and on the verge of tears as well.

It broke Arielle's heart to see her daughters like that but the only person Kaylin had to blame was herself.

She had tried, really tried to keep her daughter on the right track since her husband died but having to pick her up at the police station was the last straw for the middle aged woman.

"I don't know what you did, Kaylin, but I'm not going to let you back into my house." Arielle raised her voice but Kaylin didn't even acknowledge her mother's presence, it was as if she was just an empty shell of her former fiery shell. "I'm done with your selfish fights and your excuses, do you hear me?"

"Mom, what the hell?!" Millie raised her voice but her mother spun around to face her, her anger now directed at her youngest daughter.

"And you! I'm done with you protecting your sister. Can't you see she's done nothing but bring pain into our lives since your father died?"

At her words Millie really did start to cry and buried her face in Eric's shirt, leaving her boyfriend free to glare at her mother as much as he wanted.

But a woman, the female officer first on the scene with Kaylin, had heard enough of the mother's furious rants and walked up to her with a stern look on her face.

"Lady, you should be ashamed of yourself! These girls have been through more than anyone ever should and you're standing here giving them a lecture? Let me tell you a little bit about your two daughters."

The officer's harsh tone of voice shocked Arielle enough for her to keep quiet and listen.

"A little over a year ago Kaylin here was raped by her then-boyfriend Logan Anderson, he threatened her to keep her mouth shut and when she told your youngest daughter, Millie, he attacked her and sent her to the hospital in a coma, which I am sure you vividly remember.

Your daughter tried telling you on several occasions but was too afraid of what mr. Anderson would do to your family that she didn't say anything. She has been struggling with this, not telling anyone for a whole year in which time she has dealt with the pain the best she knew how."

Arielle's legs had given out by now and she sunk down in the chair behind her as she kept on listening.

"Then today your youngest daughter went missing, she had been abducted and taken to the other side of town by mr. Anderson who then went to confront Kaylin by the pier. Your daughter managed to get the upper hand on him and render him unconscious before calling the police and considering mr. Anderson's statement he would most certainly have killed her today if she hadn't fought back."

Arielle felt the bile rise in her throat, this couldn't have been happening to her children!

"I guess all that fighting paid off in the end." The officer mused loudly, glad that the woman now seemed to understand just how amazing the girls she had raised were.

"So what happens now?" Arielle asked, her voice shaking and cracking as she spoke.

"It's a pretty clear-cut case, if or when he's found guilty the rape will get him at least 10 years minimum, then there is the assault and abduction of a minor and with the intent of murdering your daughter... Let's just say he will be locked up for the rest of his life and that's if he's lucky."

The officer left them, feeling like her job there was done.

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"Oh, Kaylin..." Arielle looked at her first-born with tears running down her face, how could she have been so blind? So stupid? So selfish? "Can you ever forgive me?"

Kaylin finally looked at her mother and the woman felt her heart being crushed into dust at the look in her eyes.

The girl didn't say anything, simply left her boyfriend's lap and ran straight into her mother's arms, sobbing like a baby as she felt the warm safety of her mother's loving embrace.

"My sweet sweet Kaylin." Arielle cried as she stroked her daughter's hair.

"Mom..." Millie joined her sister in their mother's arms and finally there were no secrets between them. They cried together with smiles on their faces, because even though they were all sad they were also so happy that deep down underneath it all they were still a family.


	13. Epilogue

**The difference between us - Chapter 13 – Epilogue**

**A/N: Okay guys! Last chapter ^^ I hope you have enjoyed this story despite all the different delays between chapters and so forth, but here it is. The epilogue. I hope you guys like it!**

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**A year later**

"Wake up, Kaylin." The girl smiled at the sweet sound of her boyfriend's voice without opening her eyes. "You have exactly 3 seconds to wake up." Ryan chuckled. "1."

Kaylin didn't move.

"2."

Again, nothing but a smile.

"3." Ryan flipped the air mattress she laid on and sent her splashing into the pool.

"I told you to wake up, Kay." He laughed as she girl came spluttering to the surface.

"That was not fair, Ryan!" She squealed, the water cool against her warm skin as she splashed some water at him.

He swum up and pulled her close, kissing her playfully on the lips.

"Life isn't fair, Kay. Deal with it." He chuckled.

"I hope you two lovebirds aren't doing anything inappropriate in there." The couple tore their eyes off of each other and looked up at Arielle who had settled down in one of the lounge chairs next to the pool.

"Not at all, Arielle. What gave you that idea?" Ryan grinned as he spun his girlfriend around to face her mother as his arms snaked around her waist, nibbling playfully at her neck.

"Well, just don't go making me any grandchildren yet." Arielle laughed as Robert handed her a drink with a little umbrella in it. "I'm too young to have grandchildren."

"Don't you mean they are too young to have children?" Robert smiled at his fiancee who batted her eyelashes at him in an innocent kind of way.

"Yes, that too."

"Careful, mom." Kaylin chuckled at her mother. "You might just scare him off."

"Oh, don't worry, Kaylin." Robert saluted the two youngsters in the pool. "It takes a lot more than that to scare me off."

"I sure hope so." Arielle leaned over to kiss his cheek and Robert looked more than happy with the gesture.

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Sure, people thought it was a little strange for their parents to have become a couple, what with their kids being together and all that.

But since Kaylin and Ryan went off to college they'd both been feeling lonely and sought comfort in each other's company, and after a while their friendship turned into something a little more.

Kaylin claimed she knew it from the start but Ryan still couldn't quite believe it.

It wasn't because his dad had decided to remarry, he was happy for him and that was the God honest truth but it was strange to see Robert happy with a woman again after so many years.

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"What are you thinking about?" Kaylin asked the following night, sitting on the beach with the wedding party still going strong in the background.

She was sitting between his legs, watching the ocean waves crash onto the shore.

"You." Ryan simply answered but he couldn't fool his girlfriend.

"No, you're not." She let her fingers play over his strong forearms resting against her stomach.

"My mom."

Kaylin stilled for a second.

"You miss her?"

"Yeah." Ryan exhaled heavily, the emotion apparent in his voice.

"And do you wish it was her up there at the party?" She asked, knowing that she was treading in unknown waters.

Ryan thought for a moment before he sighed and answered her.

"No. No, my dad's happy with Arielle. He's been alone for a long time and I think partially it was because of me..." His hold around her tightened. "I just want him to be happy."

Kaylin smiled and tilted her head back to look at her boyfriend.

"And I think you accepting this change would make your mom really proud."

"How would you know?" Ryan asked, his voice soft and barely a whisper. "You never even knew her."

"True." She brought up a hand to rest on his cheek, wiping away the tear that fell from his eyes. "But I know you and although I can see a lot of your dad in you, there are parts that I believe you got from your mom."

"Like what?" Ryan asked, now curious.

"Like..." Kaylin turned around and regarded him gently with a soft smile on her face. "Your laugh." She pressed a kiss to his left cheek. "Your sense of humor." A kiss to his right cheek and she could feel him smiling again.

"And your lips." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him lovingly. "And I love each and every part of you, no matter who it comes from."

"I love you, Kay. Do I tell you that often enough?" Ryan smiled and pecked her lips.

"The words aren't all that important, the important thing is that the feeling is there."

"And is it?" Ryan grinned, rubbing his nose against hers.

"Always."

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**A/N: So last chapter, please let me know what you thought! ^^**


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